OF  PWs^ 
[*     DEC  27 1607      •] 


Division  TBS  2.4-20 
Section    ,j^)*i£>,J 


THE    STORT    OF 
THE  NAZARENE 


THE  STORY  OF 

THE  NAZARENE 

IN  ANNOTATED  PARAPHRASE 


, 


By 


Noah  K.  Davis,  Ph.  D. 

University  of  Virginia 
Author  of  Judo's  Jewels  ;  Elements  of  Ethics,  etc. 


4  A6yo$  <Tap£  iyivero,  ftai  iffkrjvuxrev  iv  rjfitv 


New    York  Chicago         Toronto 

Fleming    H.    Revel  I   Company 

London    and    Edinburgh 


Copyright  1903  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


{SECOND  EDITION) 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  63  Washington  Street 
Toronto:  27  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:    30    St.    Mary   Street 


To   Clara  Bell 


Preface 


THE  following  narrative  repeats  the  gospel  story 
as  told  by  the  four  Evangelists.  Their  narra- 
tives are  here  combined,  neglecting  doctrinal 
matter  in  favor  of  events.  It  arranges  all,  save  one  of 
these,  in  their  actual  historical  order  as  to  time  and  place. 
Uncertainties  are  not  discussed,  but  the  solution  that 
seems  most  reasonable  is  adopted  and  stated  without 
demur.  Much  care  has  been  taken  with  the  natural  and 
logical  divisions  of  the  events  in  order  to  correct  a  very 
common  confusion,  and  to  enable  the  gospel  reader  to 
acquire  such  a  clear  and  correct  notion  of  their  orderly 
occurrence  as  is  perhaps  rarely  attained. 

As  an  aid  to  a  better  understanding  of  the  events  the 
related  secular  history  of  the  day,  both  Jewish  and 
Roman,  is  interwoven  in  the  narrative.  Other  accessory 
matter  has  been  added  concerning  chronology,  geography, 
topography  and  localities,  the  social  customs  and  political 
incidents  of  the  time  in  accord  with  recent  biblical 
scholarship,  and  the  approved  results  of  archaeology. 
Still  there  is  no  deviation  from  the  traditional  view  of 
Protestants  and  Catholics  alike,  unless  for  cogent  reasons. 

5 


6  PREFACE 

The  gospel  text  is  paraphrased  so  far  as  is  needful  to 
unfold  its  meaning.  Annotations  are  incorporated  in  the 
account  for  sake  of  explanation  and  illustration,  without 
extracting  moral  lessons,  which  have  more  virtue  clad 
in  their  native  armor  of  fact.  In  many  cases,  however, 
the  scanty  outline  sketch  of  the  Evangelist,  though 
rigidly  retained,  has  been  filled  in  with  imaginary  details 
of  strictly  reasonable  probability,  so  as  to  depict  the 
scenes  distinctly  and  vividly. 

The  work  has  been  done  reverently,  with  hearty  con- 
fidence in  the  historic  verity  of  its  basis,  a  confidence 
unshaken  by  its  supernatural  marvels,  unshaken  because 
begotten  of  clear  reason,  which  sees  spiritual  energies, 
human  and  superhuman,  dominating  ever  the  course  of 
history.  Men  will  never  tire  of  the  story  that  has  proved 
to  be  the  most  momentous  episode  in  the  annals  of  man- 
kind, and  the  most  beautiful  in  all  literature ;  the  story 
of  the  time  when  the  three  spheres  were  tangent,  and 
Heaven  heroically  wrested  our  World  from  the  mastery 
of  Hell ;  the  story  of  Christus,  victor,  salvator,  consolator ; 
the  love  story  of  the  wooing  of  humanity  to  become  the 
bride  of  the  princely  heir  to  the  throne  of  the  universe. 


Contents 


PART  FIRST— HIS  ADVENT 
I.     The  Anticipation 
II.     The  Annunciation 

III.  The  Incarnation 

IV.  The  Reception       .... 


»3 
*9 

27 

37 


PART  SECOND— HIS  INVESTITURE 

V.     The  Preparation    ......  55 

VI.     The  Inauguration  .....  66 

VII.     The  Attestation  ......  86 

PART  THIRD— HIS  FIRST  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 
VIII.     The  Inception        .  .  .  .  .  .105 

IX.     The  Interruption  .  .  .  .  .116 


PART  FOURTH— HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

X.  The  New  Home    . 

XI.  The  First  Tour  and  its  Sequel 

XII.  The  Excursion  and  Return 

XIII.  The  Second  Tour  Begun 

XIV.  The  Sequel  of  the  Tour 
XV.  The  Third  Tour.     Fate  of  John 

XVI.  The  Closing  Scenes 


133 
146 
161 
176 
185 
194 
204 


PART  FIFTH— HIS  EXILE 
XVII.     In  Phoenicia  and  Decapolis 
XVIII.     In  the  Region  of  Mt.  Hermon 

7 


219 
226 


!  CONTENTS 

PART  SIXTH— HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 
XIX.     The  Work  in  Jerusalem      ....     239 
XX.     The  Tour  and  its  Close     .  .  .  255 

PART  SEVENTH— HIS  PER^EAN  MINISTRY 
XXI.     The  Work  Interrupted       ....     265 
XXII.     The  Great  Miracle   .  .  .  .  .275 

PART  EIGHTH— HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

XXIII.  The  Royal  Progress   .....      289 

XXIV.  The  Rejection     ......     307 

XXV.     The  Prophecy     .  .  .  .  .         .320 


PART  NINTH— HIS  PASSION 
XXVI.     The  Prelude 
XXVII.     The  Eucharist 
XXVIII.     The  Arrest 
XXIX.     The  Arraignments 
XXX.     The  Execution 

PART  TENTH— HIS  REVIVAL 
XXXI.     The  Resurrection  Day 
XXXII.     The  Forty  Days 
XXXIII.     The  After  Days 


327 
338 
346 
354 
37o 


389 

399 

407 


APPENDIX 

Synopsis  of  Events       .  .  .  .  .  .  .  417 

Chronological  Table  ......  424 

Index  to  Accessories   .......  427 


LIST  OF    ILLUSTRATIONS    AND    MAPS 

TAC1NG  PAGE 

Nazareth* title 

Map  of  Palestine J9 

Bethlehem  of  Judea* 3° 

Map  of  Jerusalem 55 

Tohn  the  Baptist  at  the  River  Jordan       ....      69 

I 
Plan  of  the  Temple io5 

The  Temple  Built  by  Herod 105 

Nablus  and  Vale  of  Shechem* i*3 

Physical  Map  of  Palestine* 133 

The  Sea  of  Galilee J37 

The  Horns  of  Hattin 172 

The  Return  into  Exile 224 

Bethany  of  Judea* 275 

Jesus  Looking  upon  Jerusalem 3°4 

*  Acknowledgment  is  due  Professor  R.  L.  Stewart  for  the  use 
of  these  illustrations  from  his  book  "  The  Land  of  Israel." 


PART  FIRST 
His  Advent 


I 

THE  ANTICIPATION 

NEARLY  two  thousand  years  ago  a  great  event 
took  place.  It  was  the  birth  of  a  man  child. 
His  advent  had  been  dimly  foretold  in  the 
garden  of  Eden,  on  the  fall  of  the  first  Adam.  The  ark 
of  Noah  prefigured  his  work ;  and  the  altar  of  Abraham's 
son  was  a  presage  of  the  means.  Moses,  the  lawgiver 
and  leader,  the  counsellor  and  commander,  the  minister 
and  mediator,  offering  himself  in  atonement  for  the  sin 
of  his  people,  foreshadowed  the  high  offices  of  his  celes- 
tial antitype,  and  established  a  typical  ritual  which  sub- 
sisted till  he  came.  Thus  during  four  millenniums,  more 
and  more  clearly  in  the  wistful  eyes  of  the  waiting  elect, 
he  was  coming,  coming,  coming,  coming. 

Also  throughout  four  prophetic  epochs  he  was  an- 
nounced. David,  his  royal  ancestor,  celebrated  his 
advent  in  imperishable  songs.  Elijah,  the  forerunner 
and  reformer,  standing  for  loyalty  and  legality  in  the  dark 
days  of  defection  and  disorder,  preached  repentance  for 
the  remission  of  sins,  and  cried,  Make  ye  ready  the  way 
of  the  Lord.  The  inspired  seer  Isaiah,  to  whom  the 
future  was  present,  with  burning  lips  called  out,  Awake, 
awake  ;  put  on  thy  strength,  O  Zion  ;  put  on  thy  beauti- 
ful garments,  O  Jerusalem.  Arise,  shine ;  for  thy  light  is 
come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen  upon  thee. 
And  Malachi,  closing  the  long  prophetic  roll,  stood  forth 
at  last,  in  the  name  of  Jehovah  proclaiming,  Behold,  the 
Lord  whom  ye  seek  shall  suddenly  come  to  his  temple, 

13 


i4  HIS  ADVENT 

even  the  messenger  of  the  covenant  whom  ye  delight  in. 
Yet  who  may  abide  the  day  of  his  coming,  and  who 
shall  stand  when  he  appeareth  ?  But  unto  you  that  fear 
his  name  shall  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arise  with  heal- 
ing in  his  wings.  The  time  is  ripening.     Only  four 

centuries  remain.     Now,  O  voice  of  prophecy,  hush. 

During  all  those  early  ages,  throughout  the  gentile 
world  far  and  near,  unconscious  prophecies  of  his  coming 
abounded.  In  the  poignant  consciousness  of  innate  de- 
pravity and  overt  guilt,  mankind  instinctively  sought  for 
atonement  in  sacrifice,  for  remission  in  the  vicarious 
shedding  of  blood,  even  of  human  blood.  And  so  it 
was  that  every  temple  and  every  altar,  every  priest  and 
every  augur,  betokened  his  coming.  In  many  strange 
fables  too,  as  of  Pandora  and  of  Prometheus,  of  Danae 
and  of  Perseus,  the  mythologists  anticipated  the 
evangelists.  Groping  thus  in  the  valley  and  shadow  of 
death,  four  races  of  mankind  in  diverse  quarters  of  the 
world  gathered  severally  at  the  feet  of  four  great  sages  to 
be  taught  the  way  of  light  and  life,  hoping  that  in  the 
teacher  was  life,  and  the  life  the  light  of  men. 

Confucius,  for  nearly  twenty-five  centuries,  has  been 
the  supreme  and  undisputed  teacher  of  the  most  populous 
quarter  of  the  globe.  Leaving  a  memory  perpetuated 
even  yet  in  manners,  gestures  and  dress,  leaving  analects 
of  ethical  maxims  so  wise  and  pure  as  to  command  uni- 
versal admiration,  he  justly  ranks  as  a  leader  of  humanity, 
and  as  a  type  of  the  true  light. 

Buddha,  The  Enlightened,  The  Light  of  Asia,  was 
hailed  as  a  deliverer,  teaching  a  way  of  salvation  from 
the  miseries  of  life  by  the  transmigration  of  Karma,  and 
the  rcabsorption  of  Nirvana.     In  the  Buddhistic  Canon 


THE  ANTICIPATION  15 

of  the  Three  Baskets,  including  the  Path  of  Virtue  by 
which  alone  this  salvation  is  attained,  most  of  the  moral 
precepts  of  the  Gospel  are  found,  and  its  doctrine  is 
to-day  the  confession  of  one  fourth  of  the  human  race. 

Zoroaster,  in  the  scriptural  Zend-Avesta,  taught  the 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  personified  in  Ormuzd  and 
Ahriman ;  also  the  unity,  invisibility  and  eternity  of  the 
supreme  being,  and  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  To  the 
Magi  he  forbade  the  building  of  temples,  and  the  making 
of  graven  images.  Recognizing  the  Sun  as  the  source 
of  light  and  life,  he  directed  divine  worship  through  it ; 
so  that  "  an  incense  of  pure  offering  went  up  to  the 
Eternal  God,  even  from  the  rising  of  the  Sun." 

These  three  were  of  the  East.  On  the  West,  Socrates, 
in  revolt  against  the  skepticism  of  the  Sophists,  reasoned 
of  righteousness,  temperance,  and  judgment  to  come. 
With  the  spirit  of  an  apostle,  he  sought  out  and  taught 
the  eternal  principles  of  public  and  private  justice.  En- 
amored of  truth  in  its  highest  and  widest  reach,  he 
endorsed  the  doctrine  of  Anaxagoras,  that  the  divine 
mind,  which,  as  the  finest  among  all  things,  is  simple 
unmixed  and  passionless  reason,  and  distinguished  from 
material  natures  by  its  unity,  independence,  knowledge 
and  power,  itself  brought  order  out  of  chaos,  and  as  a 
supreme  divine  intelligence  governs  the  world.  This, 
supplemented  by  the  still  earlier  doctrine  of  Anaxi- 
mander,  that  all  things  must  in  equity  give  satisfaction 
and  atonement  for  injustice,  furnished  the  basis  for 
building  an  enduring  scheme  of  philosophical  ethics, 
which  became  a  powerful  factor  in  European  civilization. 
Reminiscent  of  the  rejection  and  fate  of  this  martyr  of 
philosophy  at  the  outset  of  the  four  silent  centuries, 
Plato,  the  disciple  whom  he  loved,  was  moved  to  write, 


16  HIS  ADVENT 

"  Should  ever  a  man  perfectly  just  appear  among  men 
he  will  be  bound,  scourged,  racked,  tortured,  and  at  last, 
after  suffering  every  kind  of  evil,  he  will  be  impaled." 

These  unconscious  prophecies  of  the  coming,  stimu- 
lated by  the  instinctive  longing  of  humanity  for  a  teacher 
and  redeemer,  were  attended  by  a  dream  of  universal 
empire,  by  the  vision  of  a  King  who  should  rule  the 
world  in  righteousness.  In  the  effort  to  realize  this 
dream,  four  powerful  monarchies  in  succession  arose, 
symbolized  by  a  colossal  image  whose  head  was  of  fine 
gold,  its  breast  and  arms  of  silver,  its  belly  and  thighs  of 
brass,  and  its  legs  and  feet  of  iron. 

The  Assyrio-Babylonian  Empire  culminated  under 
Nebuchadnezzar  who  was  the  head  of  gold.  Despite  its 
splendor,  this  loose  aggregate  of  powers,  having  the  im- 
perfection of  elementary  civilization,  and  being  corrupted 
by  the  vices  of  luxury,  was  foredoomed  to  ruin. 

Upon  its  ruins  arose  the  silver  Medo-Persian  Empire, 
under  Cyrus,  the  Sun.  Him  the  evangelical  prophet 
announced,  saying,  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  his  messiah, 
of  Cyrus,  he  is  my  shepherd,  and  shall  perform  all  my 
pleasure ;  and  whom  Xenophon,  the  Attic  bee,  in  his 
later  evangel,  idealized  as  a  just,  generous  and  patriotic 
prince,  a  wise  leader  and  commander  of  the  people. 

After  two  centuries,  at  the  battle  of  Arbela,  the  latter 
monarchy  was  replaced  by  the  bronze  Greco-Macedonian 
power,  and  Alexander,  with  no  more  worlds  to  conquer, 
took  his  seat  at  Babylon  on  the  throne  of  a  universal 
empire.  At  his  death  it  disintegrated  ;  for  thus  saith  the 
Lord  God,  Remove  the  diadem,  and  take  off  the  crown ; 
I  will  overturn,  overturn,  overturn,  until  he  come  whose 
right  it  is  to  reign,  and  he  shall  reign  forever  and  ever. 

The  seat  of  these  three  empires  was  the  eastern  Baby- 


THE  ANTICIPATION  17 

ion.  The  throne  of  the  fourth,  the  iron  Roman  Empire, 
was  the  western  Babylon.  Julius  Caesar  led  his  victori- 
ous legions  to  the  far  North;  Pompey  swept  over  the 
East;  and  the  Roman  sway  extended  from  Britain  to 
the  upper  Nile,  and  from  the  Pillars  of  Hercules  along 
the  Mediterranean  coasts,  beyond  Syria,  to  the  historic 
Euphrates.  Octavius  Caesar,  at  Philippi  and  Actium 
consolidated  this  vast  empire,  and  became  without  a  rival 
an  absolute  monarch,  and  a  king  of  kings.  Under  the 
surname  Augustus,  he  gathered  into  his  own  personality 
all  the  chief  titles  of  honor  and  offices  of  power,  and 
thus  was  at  once  proconsul,  tribune,  legislator,  censor, 
pontifex  maximus  and  imperator.  During  twenty  years 
his  conquering  legions  under  Varus  enlarged  the  borders 
of  his  empire,  but  in  the  year  10  b.  c,  the  world  being 
quiet  under  the  iron  heel  of  Rome,  the  temple  of  Janus 
was  closed,  and  the  monarch  was  hailed  as  Prince  of 
Peace.  Temples  were  erected  to  his  name,  sacrificial 
altars  placed  before  his  statue,  divine  honors  lavished 
upon  him,  and  the  evangelical  Eclogue  of  Vergil  an- 
nounced a  return  of  the  golden  age. 

The  four  monarchies  were  the  presage  of  a  fifth,  soon 
to  arise.  The  fullness  of  time  was  come,  the  advent  of 
The  Prince  of  Peace  was  at  hand.  Let  mankind  pause  to 
receive  Him ;  hush,  peace,  be  still. 

"  No  war,  or  battle's  sound, 
Was  heard  the  world  around  ; 

The  idle  spear  and  shield  were  high  up  hung ; 
The  hooked  chariot  stood 
Unstained  with  hostile  blood ; 

The  trumpet  spake  not  to  the  armed  throng ; 
And  kings  sat  still  with  awful  eye, 
As  if  they  surely  knew  their  sovran  Lord  was  by."   ' 


1 8  HIS  ADVENT 

For  unto  man  a  child  is  born,  unto  man  a  Son  is  given ; 
and  his  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  and 
The  Prince  of  Peace.  Of  the  increase  of  his  government 
and  peace  there  shall  be  no  end ;  his  kingdom  shall  be 
established  with  judgment  and  with  justice  from  hence- 
forth, even  forever  more. 

Of  an  heir  so  illustrious  the  world  would  reasonably, 
and  according  to  its  custom,  ask  the  royal  descent.  It  is 
given.  First  the  legal  descent,  showing  him  to  be  right- 
fully the  crown  prince,  is  traced  from  Abraham,  the 
founder  of  the  nation,  through  David,  its  first  king, 
through  a  long  line  of  kings,  throughout  three  times 
fourteen  generations  through  Matthan,  the  grandfather 
of  his  reputed  father,  Joseph ;  by  which,  according  to 
law,  he  was  entitled  to  the  throne.  Secondly,  the  natural 
descent  is  traced,  in  reverse  order,  from  his  mother, 
through  her  grandfather,  Matthat,  through  Zerubbabel 
the  restorer,  through  David  the  king,  through  the  patri- 
archs, to  Adam,  the  Son  of  God.3 


N.  B. —  The  figures  at  the  ending  of  paragraphs  refer  to  the  Synopsis 
appended  to  the  book. 


twi  tin  J  h  m i i.y  11.  /;■  veil  Company, 


II 

THE  ANNUNCIATION 

IT  was  ordained  that  the  coming  prince  should  have 
an  immediate  forerunner  to  serve  as  a  reformer  and 
a  herald.     His  parentage  introduces  the  story. 

An  aged  priest,  Zacharias,  whose  home  was  in  middle 
Judea,  with  his  aged  wife  Elisabeth,  was  childless.  Their 
lives  were  blameless,  but  sorrowful.  With  devout  piety 
they  had  often  prayed  that  the  void  in  their  hearts  might 
be  filled,  and  the  reproach  of  barrenness  taken  away. 
But  now,  in  normal  order,  they  could  no  longer  hope. 
All  this  is  natural,  simply  human,  nothing  could  be  more 
homely.4 

And  now  the  gospel  story  opens  as  is  fitting,  in  the 
holy  City,  in  the  holy  Temple,  in  the  Holy  Place. 

In  September  of  the  year  6  b.  c,  Zacharias  went  up  to 
Jerusalem  to  take  his  turn  in  the  priestly  office.  One 
morning  it  was  allotted  to  him,  which  could  occur 
only  once  in  a  lifetime,  to  offer  incense  on  the  altar  in  the 
Sanctuary,  while  the  people  stood  praying  without. 
Immediately  the  story  leads  us  into  the  realm  of  the 
supernatural ;  for,  as  Zacharias  was  burning  incense,  an 
angel  appeared  standing  on  the  right  of  the  altar.  The 
natural  dread  of  the  supernatural  fell  upon  the  priest,  and 
he  trembled. 

"  Fear  not,  Zacharias,"  said  the  angel.  "  Thy  prayers 
are  granted.  Thou  shalt  have  a  son  whose  name  is  John 
(gift  of  Jehovah).     He  shall  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the 

19 


20  HIS  ADVENT 

Lord,  and  like  Elijah,  he  shall  prepare  the  way  of  the 
Lord." 

But  Zacharias,  who  believed  in  natural  order  as  firmly 
as  a  modern  scientist,  and  who,  as  a  Jew,  wanted  a  sign, 
replied  : 

"  Whereby  shall  I  know  this  ?  Both  I  and  my  wife 
are  very  old." 

The  angel,  indignant  at  the  doubt,  answered  severely : 

"  I  am  Gabriel  (hero  of  God),  that  stand  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God ;  and  I  was  sent  to  bring  thee  good  news. 
A  sign  ?  Thou  shalt  have  it.  Be  thou  dumb  until  my 
words  are  fulfilled." 

When  Zacharias  (remembered  of  the  Lord)  came  out 
of  the  Sanctuary,  he  could  not  speak  to  the  waiting  peo- 
ple, but  by  gestures  made  known  that  he  had  seen  a 
vision.  His  persistent  dumbness  was  evidence  that  the 
vision  was  not  an  hallucination ;  accordingly,  on  return- 
ing to  his  home  at  Hebron,  twenty  miles  south  of 
Jerusalem,  he  made  known  to  Elisabeth  (worshipper  of 
God),  doubtless  by  writing,  what  he  had  seen  and  heard. 
In  a  similar  case,  Abraham  believed,  but  Sarah  laughed 
incredulously.  Here  the  reverse ;  Zacharias  doubted,  but 
Elisabeth  believed,  saying  joyfully  : 

"  The  Lord  hath  taken  away  my  reproach." 

About  fifty-four  miles  north  of  Jerusalem,  nestled  in 
the  bosom  of  the  hills  of  lower  Galilee,  is  the  village  of 
Nazareth.  A  valley,  only  a  mile  or  so  long,  leads  up 
from  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  and  widens  at  its  head  into 
a  basin,  on  whose  western  slope  lies  the  village.  The 
broad  area  in  its  shelter  of  hills  enjoys  a  mild  climate,  is 
fertile  and  cultivated,  abounding  in  grain-fields,  gardens 
and  orchards,  all  the   fruits  of  the  region,  as  the  pome- 


THE  ANNUNCIATION  21 

granate,  orange,  fig  and  olive,  ripening  early  and  attain- 
ing high  perfection.  From  the  surrounding  heights  are 
seen,  towards  the  north,  the  ridges  of  Lebanon  and  the 
snowy  crown  of  Hermon  ;  eastward,  Tabor  and  Gilboa ; 
southward,  the  plain  of  Esdraelon  and  the  mountains  of 
Samaria ;  on  the  west,  Carmel,  the  bay  of  Akra  and  the 
blue  Mediterranean  beyond. 

In  the  secluded  village  in  those  days  dwelt  Joseph,  a 
carpenter  by  trade.  He  was  a  middle-aged  man,  and  un- 
married, but  betrothed  to  his  cousin  german,  a  simple 
village  maiden  named  Mariam,  or  as  we  now  call  her 
Mary.  She  was  about  sixteen,  or  perhaps  eighteen  years 
of  age,  and  being  an  orphan,  her  home  in  Nazareth  was 
with  another  Mary,  the  wife  of  Clopas  who  was  probably 
a  brother  of  Joseph.  Well  versed  in  the  Hebrew  scrip- 
tures, she  lived  a  blameless  life  in  the  practice  of  unassum- 
ing piety.6 

On  a  certain  spring  morning,  March  25th,  Lady  Day, 
six  months  after  the  vision  of  Zacharias,  while  Mary  in 
her  private  chamber  was  kneeling  in  humble  devotion, 
the  angel  Gabriel  sent  from  God,  his  wings  still  redolent 
with  the  airs  of  heaven,  came  in  unto  her  and  said : 

"  Hail,  thou  that  art  highly  favored,  the  Lord  is  with 
thee." 

Mary  was  greatly  troubled,  and  full  of  wonder  at  this 
strange  salutation.     Then  said  the  angel : 

"  Fear  not,  Mariam,  for  thou  hast  found  favor  with 
God.  And  behold  thou  shalt  conceive,  and  bring  forth 
a  son,  and  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus.  He  shall  be  great, 
and  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  the  most  High ;  and  the 
Lord  God  shall  give  unto  him  the  throne  of  his  father 
David ;  and  he  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  unto 
the  ages ;  and  of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end." 


22  HIS  ADVENT 

But  Mary,  not  understanding  this  dignified,  royal  woo- 
ing of  her  Sovereign  through  an  ambassador,  in  perfect 
simplicity  and  maidenly  purity,  exclaimed  : 

"  How  shall  this  be,  seeing  I  know  not  a  man  ?  " 

The  angel  answering  said  unto  her : 

"  The  power  of  the  Most  High  shall  overshadow  thee ; 
wherefore  the  holy  one  that  is  to  be  born  shall  be  called 
the  Son  of  God." 

But,  though  the  will  of  a  sovereign  was  hereby  an- 
nounced, her  free  consent  was  sought.  In  order  to  give 
her  confidence  and  assure  her  of  sympathy,  the  angel 
told  her  also  of  what  had  befallen  her  kinswoman  Elisa- 
beth. Then  Mary,  with  hands  folded  on  her  bosom  and 
a  bowed  head,  with  a  gentle  and  humble  submission 
whose  beauty  is  unparalleled,  replied  : 

"  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord ;  be  it  unto  me 
according  to  thy  word." 

Now  when  the  angel  departed  from  her,  how  did  the 
innocent  heart  of  the  young  girl  flutter  !  First  in  con- 
sternation, then  more  strongly  in  presentiment  of  celestial 
honor.  To  Eve  it  was  promised  that  her  seed  should 
bruise  the  serpent's  head,  and  over  her  first-born  she  cried 
out  exultingly,  I  have  gotten  the  man,  even  Jehovah.  Her 
error  left  the  hope,  cherished  for  ages  by  every  godly 
woman,  especially  by  every  Hebrew  woman  enlightened  by 
clearer  messianic  prophecy,  the  hope  of  being  the  mother 
of  the  promised  seed.  And  now  the  word  had  come  to  this 
humble  village  girl.  Could  it  be  possible !  She  knew 
that  the  prophet  had  said,  Behold,  a  virgin  shall  conceive, 
and  bear  a  son,  and  shall  call  his  name  Immanuel,  God 
with  us.     Can  it  be,  this  divine  gift,  for  me  ! 

Longing  for  sympathy  and  wise  counsel,  which,  con- 


THE  ANNUNCIATION  23 

cerning  such  matter,  she  obviously  could  not  venture  to 
seek  in  her  home  or  of  her  betrothed,  Mary  remembered 
the  hint  given  by  the  angel  of  a  like  case  with  her  kins- 
woman. Keeping  the  sacred  secret,  she  hurriedly  ar- 
ranged to  make  her  a  visit.  It  is  seventy-four  miles  in  direct 
line  from  Nazareth  southward  to  Hebron,  and  of  course 
more,  if  measured  on  the  travelled  way.  But  Mary  ar- 
rived speedily  and  safely,  and  saluted  the  aged  Elisabeth, 
who  instantly  reversed  their  usual  relations,  taking  a 
lower  rank  with  homage  to  the  young  girl,  and  cried 
aloud  by  inspiration,  saying  : 

"  Blessed  art  thou  among  women,  and  blessed  is  the 
fruit  of  thy  womb.  And  whence  is  this  to  me,  that  the 
mother  of  my  Lord  should  come  unto  me  ?  For  behold, 
when  the  voice  of  thy  salutation  came  into  mine  ears, 
the  babe  leaped  in  my  womb  for  joy.  And  blessed  is 
she  that  believed  ;  for  there  shall  be  a  fulfillment  of  the 
things  which  have  been  spoken  to  her  from  the  Lord."  6 

To  this  first  beatitude  of  the  Gospel,  the  root  of  all 
others,  Mary  replied  with  a  burst  of  holy  enthusiasm  and 
inspired  confidence : 

"  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord, 
And  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour. 
For  he  hath  looked  upon  the  low  estate  of  his  handmaiden  ; 
For  behold,  from  henceforth  all  generations  shall  call  me  blessed." 

In  this  exalted  strain  she  continued  throughout  the 
poetical  Magnificat,  so  named  from  its  first  word  in  the 
Latin  Vulgate,  the  first  line  reading,  Magnificat  anima 
mea  Dominum.  It  recalls  the  song  of  Hannah,  and  is 
full  of  expanding  reminiscences  of  the  psalms  which  she 
had  by  heart.  Her  prediction  that,  From  henceforth  all 
generations  shall  call  me  blessed,  has  been  marvellously  ful- 


24  HIS  ADVENT 

filled,  and  even  to-day,  around  the  globe,  she  is  known  as 
The  Blessed  Virgin. 

The  tendency  of  the  world  to  offer  divine  honors  to  a 
virgin  is  remarkable.  Witness,  among  many  others,  the 
grand  temple  of  Athena  Parthenos,  the  virgin,  at  Athens, 
and  the  wondrous  temple  of  Artemis  Parthenos,  the 
chaste,  at  Ephesus ;  also  the  constellation  Virgo  of  the 
zodiac.  Perhaps  because  a  virgin  best  represents  inno- 
cence, purity,  and  holy  love.  But  with  the  virginity  of 
Mary  is  singularly  combined  the  ineffable  grace  of  ma- 
ternal devotion  to  a  divine  son.  Hardly  then  should  we 
wonder  that  for  ages,  before  innumerable  shrines,  men 
have  bowed  with  the  prayer,  Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God, 
pray  for  us  sinners. 

"  O  sanctissima,  O  purissina, 

Virgo  Maria  dulcis ! 

Mater  amata  intemperata, 

Ora,  ora  pro  nobis." 

In  violent  reaction  against  Romanism,  Protestants  pro- 
test against  Mariolatry,  objecting  even  to  the  title  Blessed. 
But  the  world  will  have  grown  gray  and  imbecile  before 
it  ceases  the  adoration  of  pure,  sweet  girlhood,  and  tender, 
devoted  motherhood. 

"  Ave  Maria !  thou  whose  name 
All  but  adoring  love  may  claim, 
Yet  may  we  reach  thy  shrine ; 
For  he  thy  son  and  Saviour,  vows 
To  crown  all  lowly  lofty  brows 
With  love  and  joy  like  thine. 

"  Bless'd  is  the  womb  that  bare  him,  bless'd 
The  bosom  where  his  lips  were  press'd; 

But  rather  bless'd  are  they 
Who  hear  his  word  and  keep  it  well, 
The  living  homes  where  Christ  shall  dwell, 
And  never  pass  away." 


THE  ANNUNCIATION  25 

The  visit  to  her  kinswoman  was  prolonged  for  about 
three  months.  Considerations  of  propriety  and  delicacy, 
and  indeed  certain  pathological  reasons,  forbade  her  pres- 
ence on  the  impending  occasion,  and  so  Mary  returned 
to  her  home. 

Now  Elisabeth's  time  was  fulfilled  that  she  should  be 
delivered;  and  she  brought  forth  a  son.  Her  wondering 
friends  rejoiced  with  her.  On  the  eighth  day,  according 
to  the  law,  they  came  together  to  circumcise  and  name 
the  child.  Usually,  in  preparation  for  this  rite,  a  chair  is 
placed  for  Elijah,  and  he  is  invoked  to  come  according  to 
prophecy,  at  that  time.  These  knew  not  as  yet  that  this 
babe  was  himself  the  expected  Elijah.  The  rite  was  per- 
formed, and  the  friends  proposed  to  name  him  after  his 
father.     But  the  mother  said : 

"  Not  so ;  he  shall  be  called  John." 

They  offered  the  remonstrance : 

"  There  is  none  of  thy  kindred  that  is  called  by  this 
name." 

So  they  enquired  by  signs  of  his  father,  what  he  would 
have  him  called.     Zacharias  wrote  on  a  tablet : 

"  His  name  is  John."  7 

Immediately  upon  this  compliance  with  the  direction 
of  the  angel,  his  tongue  was  loosed,  and  he  who  had  been 
dumb  for  many  months,  spake  freely  the  inspired  Bene- 
dictus,  Benedictus  Dominus  Deus  Israel.  As  his  last 
words  were  words  of  doubt  and  unbelief,  so  now  his  first 
are  words  of  assurance  and  praise.  In  accord  with  the 
angelic  message,  he  addresses  the  child  as  a  prophet  and 
a  herald  of  the  dawn,  the  dayspring  from  on  high. 

While  Mary's  Magnificat  is  widely  Cosmical,  this  Bene- 
dictus is  closely  Judaical ;  and  fitly  so,  for  the  mission  of 


26  HIS  ADVENT 

John  was  to  his  people  only.  The  predictions  of  the 
priestly  father  were  noised  abroad  throughout  Judea, 
filling  the  people  with  wonder  and  fear.  And  all  they 
that  heard  them  pondered  in  their  hearts  the  question, 
What  then  shall  this  child  be  ? 

And  the  child  grew  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit.  In 
due  time,  possibly  soon  after  the  death  of  his  aged 
parents,  of  whom  we  hear  no  more,  he  took  up  his  abode 
as  a  Nazirite  and  anchorite,  as  an  ascetic  and  recluse,  in 
the  lone  Wilderness  of  Judea. 


Ill 

THE   INCARNATION 

MARY  is  now  in  Nazareth  again  at  her  home 
in  the  family  of  her  relatives.  Three  months 
have  passed  since  the  annunciation  and  im- 
maculate conception.  Probably  another  three  months 
were  passed  in  the  usual  quiet  life,  outwardly;  but  in- 
wardly, what  were  her  anxious  forebodings,  mingled  with 
secret  exultation.  Then  the  time  came  when  her  condi- 
tion could  no  longer  be  concealed.  It  became  known  to 
Joseph.  Did  Mary,  advised  by  Elisabeth,  tell  him  her- 
self? Hardly,  for  her  story  he  surely  would  not  believe, 
and  so  would  judge  her  doubly  false.  Rather  it  was  a 
whispered  rumor  that  reached  his  ear,  and  when  it  was 
confirmed,  there  was  for  Joseph  but  one  explanation. 
Naturally  he  was  indignant  and  greatly  troubled. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  The  law  accounted  betrothal 
as  marriage,  and  its  violation  adultery.  The  penalty  was 
stoning.  Thus  was  the  life  of  Mary  in  jeopardy,  and  the 
Lord  of  Life  himself  threatened  with  violent  death  even 
before  he  was  born.  Doubtless  they  were  safe,  for  the 
air  was  swarming  with  invisible  angels. 

But  Joseph  had  no  legal  proof,  either  exonerating  him- 
self or  detailing  incidents  of  her  long  absence  from  home. 
Moreover,  as  a  just  man  of  mature  years,  he  was  sorrow- 
fully considerate  of  the  state  of  the  unhappy  young  girl, 
his  near  relative,  whom  he  had  loved  and  hopefully  cher- 

27 


28  HIS  ADVENT 

ished.  Unwilling  to  put  her  to  an  open  shame  and  make 
her  a  public  example,  he  was  disposed  to  give  her,  as  the 
law  allowed  and  honor  bound,  a  private  letter  of  divorce, 
with  two  subscribing  witnesses.8 

The  only  hope  of  the  innocent  maiden  was  for  help 
from  on  high.  In  answer  to  her  agonizing  prayers  it 
came.  On  a  certain  night,  while  Joseph  communed  with 
his  own  heart  upon  his  bed  and  was  still,  an  angel  ap- 
peared unto  him,  saying : 

"  Thou  son  of  David,  fear  not  to  take  unto  thee  Mariam 
as  thy  wife ;  for  that  which  is  conceived  in  her  is  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  And  she  shall  bear  a  son ;  and  thou  shalt 
call  his  name  Jesus,  Saviour,  Immanuel,  God  with  us." 

Then  Joseph,  in  whom  was  no  guile  and  having  now 
his  honorable  scruples  allayed,  was  not  disobedient  unto 
the  heavenly  vision,  but  speedily  espoused  Mary,  and 
lived  with  her  in  reverent  abstinence. 

In  the  patent  facts,  so  far  as  known  to  them,  the  gossips 
of  the  village,  notorious  for  its  malevolence,  descried  a 
delicious  bit  of  scandal.  During  a  month  or  two,  but  for 
the  tender  respect  of  Joseph,  Mary's  circumstances  would 
have  been  intolerable.  The  whole  community  was  scan- 
dalized. Her  former  associates  passed  her  by  on  the 
streets  wagging  their  heads,  and  whispering  to  each 
other.  When  she  went,  as  was  customary,  to  draw  water 
at  sundown  from  the  fountain  at  the  head  of  the  valley 
just  outside  the  village,  now  called  The  Fountain  of  the 
Virgin,  the  women  assembled  there  would  meanly  hint  of 
the  slander,  and  torture  her  with  innuendoes.  There  is 
no  scene  in  dramatic  literature  more  pathetic  than  that  of 
Gretchen  at  the  Fountain.  But  Gretchen  had  the  solace 
of  guilt,  while  Mary  was  the  victim  not  of  suffering  only, 
but  of  injustice.     Some  of  the  gossips  who  were  not  quite 


THE  INCARNATION  29 

so  venomous  approved  of  the  marriage,  seeing  in  it  an 
acknowledgment,  and  saying : 

"  Of  course,  he  could  do  no  less ;  the  paternity  bound 
him  to  make  this  reparation ;  unless,  indeed,  she  fasci- 
nated him  into  overlooking  her  folly." 

Whoever  rejects  the  supernatural  features  of  this  story, 
and,  while  admitting  it  to  have  an  historical  basis,  insists 
on  natural  order,  thus  denying  the  virginity  of  the  mother 
of  Jesus,  must  fall  in  with  the  views  of  the  gossips  of 
Nazareth.  It  might  be  well  for  the  reader  to  consider 
the  logical  consequences  of  adopting  the  views  of  these 
gossips  as  affecting  the  social  status  of  Jesus  and  the 
moral  character  of  Mary  and  Joseph.  Then  compare 
these  consequences  with  the  explicit  assertions  of  the 
narratives  on  those  points,  and  note  the  contradictions 
of  these  consequences  to  these  assertions. 

The  time  for  the  nativity  was  drawing  near.  The  iron- 
bound  world  was  at  peace,  silently,  unconsciously  await- 
ing the  event.  Augustus  Caesar  was  seated  at  Rome  on 
the  throne  of  universal  empire.  Herod  the  Great,  his  de- 
pendent creature,  was  seated  at  Jerusalem,  King  of  all 
Palestine.  He  had  reigned  harshly  for  about  thirty-three 
years,  and  was  now  old  and  infirm.  His  people  were 
longing  for  a  deliverer. 

Two  years  before  this  Augustus  had  decreed  an  enroll- 
ment or  census  of  the  Roman  Empire,  including,  as  Taci- 
tus tells  us,  the  Regtia  or  dependent  kingdoms.  This 
census,  very  repugnant  to  the  Jews,  was  now  taking  in 
Herod's  realm.  According  to  Jewish  method  each  citi- 
zen was  enrolled  in  his  own  city.  So  Joseph,  being  of 
the  house  of  David,  must  go  for  enrollment  to  the  city  of 
David,  to  Bethlehem. 


30  HIS  ADVENT 

Should  Mary  go  ?  True  she  also  was  of  the  house  of 
David,  but  there  was  no  demand,  for  at  that  day  and 
with  that  people  it  was  not  customary  to  enroll  women. 
Moreover,  the  eve  of  motherhood  is  a  perilous  time  in 
which  to  undertake  a  rough  journey.  Yet  despite  this, 
and  the  wintry  season,  she  resolved  with  Joseph's  consent 
to  go.  Why  ?  Sufficient  reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  To 
be  left  just  then  alone  in  the  slanderous  village,  would  be 
intolerable ;  alone,  for  Joseph  only  knew  her  true  story, 
and  by  all  others  she  was  defamed  and  ostracized.  Al- 
ready under  social  ban,  and  rather  than  suffer  complete 
isolation  amid  calumny,  she  would  brave  all  peril  and  go. 
Thus  it  was  that  this  mother  and  her  babe,  when  most 
they  needed  home,  were  banished.  And  thus  it  was  that 
the  imperial  Caesar  by  his  decree,  and  the  gossips  of  Naz- 
areth by  their  evil  tongues  exciting  the  modesty  and 
timidity  of  a  helpless  girl,  unwittingly  combined  to  realize 
prophecy,  and  brought  it  to  pass  that  Jesus  should  be 
born  at  Bethlehem.9 

It  was  about  sixty  miles  from  Nazareth  to  Bethlehem, 
six  miles  south  of  Jerusalem.  The  journey  was  made, 
Mary  riding  a  donkey,  Joseph  walking  beside  her,  carry- 
ing her  little  bundle  in  his  knapsack.  The  route  was  first 
down  the  little  valley,  then  across  the  plain  of  Esdraelon 
then  through  Samaria,  then,  passing  by  Jerusalem  on 
the  left  outside  the  Joppa  gate,  to  the  village  of  Bethle- 
hem. It  required  two  or  three  days.  Doubtless  there 
were  special  hardships,  for  it  was  winter;  but  they 
reached  the  village  safely  in  the  evening  twilight  of  De- 
cember 24th,  near  the  close  of  the  fifth  year  before  the 
common  era. 

They  found  Bethlehem  alive  with  men  who  were  there 
to  be  enrolled.     The  hour  was  late,  too  late  to  seek  un- 


THE  INCARNATION  31 

announced  the  hospitality  of  private  homes.  So  the 
jaded  travellers  turned  to  the  public  inn.  This  was  a 
khan  or  caravansary ;  that  is,  a  square  enclosed  by  a  stone 
wall,  having  on  the  inner  sides  of  the  wall  sheds,  built  of 
boards  with  floors  a  foot  above  the  ground,  and  open 
towards  the  middle  of  the  square.  In  these  sheds  travel- 
lers, bringing  their  own  rations  and  pallets,  find  bare 
lodging.  In  the  court  thus  surrounded  but  open  to 
the  sky,  their  riding  animals  and  beasts  of  burden  are 
picketed.  The  caravansary  of  Bethlehem  stood  against 
a  small  hill  in  which  was  a  cave,  whose  mouth  was  an 
opening  in  the  wall,  and  whose  recesses  were  used,  when 
the  season  was  inclement,  as  a  stable  for  the  animals  of 
the  caravans. 

When  Mary  attended  by  Joseph  rode  into  the  court 
of  the  hostel,  it  was  thronged  with  beasts  and  men.  For 
the  newcomers  evidently  there  was  no  room,  not  a  single 
vacant  shed.  The  host  met  them,  and  with  oriental 
obsequiousness  stated  that  the  only  accommodation  in 
his  power  to  furnish  was  a  lodging  in  the  stable,  which 
was  not  quite  full.  Yielding  to  necessity  Joseph  assisted 
Mary  to  alight,  then  leading  the  donkey  and  guided  by 
the  host  carrying  a  lanthorn,  they  passed  under  ground, 
down  a  steep  incline  into  the  cold,  damp,  noisome 
cavern.  Having  found  a  vacant  place  Joseph  tethered 
the  donkey,  while  Mary,  tired,  anxious,  and  distressed, 
lay  down  on  the  straw  that  littered  the  stone  floor. 
There  the  host  with  his  lanthorn  left  them  in  the  dark. 
Mary  fell  into  a  troubled  sleep.  This  was  her  refuge 
from  the  calumny  at  home. 

After  midnight  the  pains  of  travail  came  upon  her. 
She  awakened  Joseph,  who  groped  his  way  out  seeking 
assistance.     Now   alone,   under   ground,   on   the   damp 


32  HIS  ADVENT 

straw,  in  the  cold,  in  the  dark,  she  brought  forth  a  son 
The  man  child  was  born. 

Loosing  her  little  bundle  on  which  her  head  was 
pillowed,  and  rinding  and  spreading,  as  well  as  she  could 
in  the  dark,  the  swaddling-cloth  she  had  prepared,  Mary 
herself  inwrapped  her  babe.  With  what  strength  was 
left  she  lifted  it,  laid  it  in  the  horse-trough  lest  the  beasts 
should  trample  it,  and  then  sank  back  upon  the  straw 
exhausted.  And  then  in  the  slow  hours  she  listened  to 
its  struggles  for  a  breath  of  the  foul  air,  and  to  its  feeble 
crying  in  the  night. 

Oh,  the  pity  of  it,  the  pity  of  it !  And  the  humiliation 
of  the  innocent  maiden  mother !  And  how  humble  the 
entrance  into  life  of  this  royal  child,  this  "  son  of  heaven's 
eternal  king,  of  wedded  maid  and  virgin  mother  born  ! " 
Usually  the  birth  of  an  heir  is  an  occasion  of  rejoicing. 
In  European  monarchies,  the  nativity  of  a  prince,  espe- 
cially of  an  heir  apparent,  is  anticipated  with  anxious 
solicitude  and  elaborate  preparations ;  the  dignitaries  of 
the  court  are  assembled,  the  happy  event  is  ceremoni- 
ously announced,  and  the  glad  news  is  heralded 
throughout  the  realm.  Shall  the  birth  of  the  Heir 
of  heaven,  shall  the  nativity  of  the  Prince  of  peace, 
born  to  be  King  of  kings,  come  to  pass  with  no  royal 
honors  ? 


"  It  was  the  winter  wild, 
While  the  heaven-born  child 

All  meanly  wrapt  in  the  rude  manger  lies ; 
Nature,  in  awe  to  him, 
Had  doff'd  her  gaudy  trim, 

With  her  great  Master  so  to  sympathize ; 
Only  with  speeches  fair 
She  wooes  the  gentle  air 


THE  INCARNATION  33 

To  hide  her  guilty  front  with  innocent  snow  ; 
And  on  her  naked  shame, 
Pollute  with  sinful  blame, 

The  saintly  veil  of  maiden  white  to  throw  ; 
Confounded  that  her  Maker's  eyes 
Should  look  so  near  upon  her  foul  deformities." 


In  the  snow-clad  field  a  mile  east  of  Bethlehem,  where 
Ruth  had  gleaned,  and  David  made  his  sheep  to  lie  down 
in  green  pastures,  lived  certain  shepherds  who,  this  night 
of  Christmas  eve,  were  watching  their  flocks  folded  for 
the  winter  in  sheep-cots.  It  was  needful  to  guard,  espe- 
cially by  night,  from  evil  beasts  and  indeed  from  evil 
man,  these  sheep,  although  they  were  intended  for  the 
sacrificial  altar  of  the  Temple.  Little  thought  the  shep- 
herds then  that  the  great  Shepherd  of  the  Sheep  was 
kindly  come  to  live  with  them  below.  But  suddenly  on 
the  eve  of  dawn,  an  angel  stood  by  them,  and  the  glory 
of  heaven  shone  round  about  them.  They  were  sore 
afraid.     But  this  first  evangelist  said  unto  them  : 

"  Fear  not ;  for  behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings,  the 
gospel  of  great  joy  to  all  people  ;  for  unto  you  is  born 
this  day  in  the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour,  the  Lord 
anointed.  And  the  sign  is,  ye  shall  find  a  babe  wrapped 
in  a  swaddling-cloth,  and  lying  in  a  manger."  10 

Then  the  heavens  blossomed  with  angels,  and  a  great 
host  appeared,  singing  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis  : 

"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest, 
And  on  earth  peace  among  men." 

"  In  heaven  the  joyous  song  began, 
And  sweet  seraphic  fire 
Through  all  the  shining  legions  ran 
That  strung  and  tuned  the  lyre. 


34  HIS  ADVENT 

"  Swift  through  the  vast  expanse  it  flew, 
And  loud  the  echo  rolled, 
The  theme,  the  song,  the  joy  was  new, 
'Twas  more  than  heaven  could  hold. 

"  Down  from  the  portals  of  the  sky 
The  impetuous  torrent  ran, 
And  angels  flew  with  eager  joy 
To  bring  the  news  to  man." 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  when  the  angelic  chorus 
went  away  into  heaven  — 

"  The  air,  such  pleasure  loth  to  lose, 
With  thousand  echoes  still  prolonged  each  heavenly  close." 

Then  said  the  shepherds  one  to  another : 
"  Let  us  go  now  even  unto  Bethlehem,  and  see  this 
thing  that  is  come  to  pass,  which  the  Lord  hath  made 
known  unto  us." 

And  they  came  with  haste,  procured  torch-lights,  en- 
tered the  cavern,  and  found  both  Mary  and  Joseph  who 
had  returned,  and  the  babe  lying  in  the  manger. 

"  No  peaceful  home  upon  his  cradle  smil'd, 
Guests  rudely  came  and  went  where  slept  the  royal  child." 

Doubtless  the  young  mother  was  shocked  by  the 
sudden  intrusion  of  these  rough  looking  men,  but  they 
were  reverent  in  telling  their  story,  and  gentle  in  their 
wonder.  How  much  more  than  they  may  we  wonder, 
we  who  have  noonday  light,  wonder  at  the  incarnation 
of  Deity,  at  the  Word  made  flesh  to  dwell  among  us,  at 
the  realization  of  the  manifold  paradox  : 

The  King  of  the  Universe — hidden  in  a  cave ; 
The  great  God — become  a  little  babe  ; 
The  Ancient  of  Days — a  new-born  infant ; 
The  Eternal  One — an  hour  old  ; 


I 

THE  INCARNATION  35 

"  Rugens  sidera — sugens  ubera ;  " 

The  Almighty — helpless  ; 

Whom  the  heavens  cannot  contain — laid  in  a  manger ; 
"  Forsook  the  courts  of  everlasting  day  — 

And  choose  with  us  a  darksome  house  of  mortal  clay." 

The  shepherds  departed,  glorifying  and  praising  God, 
and  making  known,  as  the  second  evangelists,  the  won- 
ders they  had  seen  and  heard.  But  Mary  kept  these 
things,  pondering  them  in  her  heart ; 

"  While  all  about  the  courtly  stable 
Bright-harness'd  angels  sit  in  order  serviceable." 

In  the  year  325  St.  Helena,  the  mother  of  Constantine 
the  Great,  the  first  Christian  Emperor  of  Rome,  visited 
Palestine,  and  moved  by  reverence  for  the  Holy  Places, 
built,  among  other  monuments,  the  Church  and  Convent 
of  the  Nativity.  After  the  lapse  of  more  than  sixteen 
centuries,  it  is  still  standing  over  the  traditional  place  of 
the  birth.  In  the  marble  floor  of  the  crypt  beneath  the 
principal  chapel,  where  sixteen  lamps  are  perpetually 
burning,  is  a  silver  star,  with  the  legend  : 

Hie  de  Virginie  Maria  Jesus  Christus  natus  est. 

The  exact  date  of  the  nativity  is  uncertain.  There  is 
now  among  chronologists  a  fairly  general  consensus  that 
it  occurred  in  the  fifth  year  before  the  Christian  era. 
What  day  of  what  month  is  quite  indeterminable.  In 
the  absence  of  definite  data,  the  tradition  of  the  Roman 
Church,  widely  accepted  by  the  Protestant  Church,  is 
questionable.  That  it  brings  the  annunciations  to  coin- 
cide nearly  with  the  equinoxes,  and  the  births  of  John 
and  Jesus  to  connect  with  the  summer  and  winter  sol- 
stices, the  four  cardinal  points  of  the  year,  touches  it 
with  a  breath  of  suspicion.     Moreover,  the  suspicion  is 


36  HIS  ADVENT 

deepened  by  the  facts  that  the  early  church  habitually 
converted  the  chief  heathen  festivals  into  Christian  holi- 
days, and  that  December  25th,  when  the  sun  perceptibly 
begins  his  annual  meridional  ascent  [Dies  natalis  solis 
invincti,  Birthday  of  the  unconquered  sun),  closed  the 
week  of  the  Roman  Saturnalia.  But  Christmas  Eve  and 
Christmas  Day  have  become  consecrated  by  a  millennium 
and  a  half  of  observance,  are  adorned  by  beautiful  myths 
and  customs,  and  hallowed  by  charming  and  precious  as- 
sociations of  childhood. 

«  Some  say,  that  ever  'gainst  that  season  comes 
Wherein  our  Saviour's  birth  is  celebrated, 
The  bird  of  dawning  singeth  all  night  long ; 
And  then,  they  say,  no  sprite  can  walk  abroad, 
The  nights  are  wholesome,  then  no  planets  strike, 
No  fairy  takes,  nor  witch  hath  power  to  charm, 
So  hallow'd  and  so  gracious  is  that  time." 

This  tradition  of  the  day  and  hour  when  the  Christ- 
child  was  born  is  fixed  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  mil- 
lions, it  has  gathered  into  itself  the  purest  sweets  of  love 
and  joy,  and  Christendom  will  never  consent  to  remold 
the  exquisite  crystallization. 

It  is,  however,  well  worth  noting  that,  although 
throughout  Christendom  every  official  document  regis- 
tered Anno  Domini,  and  every  printed  sheet  and  every 
letter  dated  by  the  hand  of  man,  recognizes  this  eventful 
epoch  in  history,  still  the  uncertainties  involved  provi- 
dentially hinder  its  excessive  veneration.  Moreover,  the 
extreme  humility  of  the  nativity  in  all  its  human  aspects, 
together  with  the  bare  simplicity  of  the  subsequent  life 
in  utter  disregard  of  all  pomp  and  circumstance,  indicates 
disapprobation  of  ceremonial  display  in  Christian  observ- 
ance as  obscuring  and  demeaning  its  sublime  spirituality. 


IV 
THE  RECEPTION 

BEFORE  sunset  of  Christmas  day  Joseph  secured 
in  some  home  in  Bethlehem  a  more  suitable  re- 
treat for  his  virgin  wife  and  her  babe.  On  the 
eighth  day  was  the  circumcision,  a  rite  at  once  national 
and  religious,  of  which  the  mother  of  the  babe  born 
under  the  law  might  say,  Thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill 
all  righteousness.11 

Mary  in  tears,  holding  her  babe  in  her  lap,  is  the  first 
to  be  sprinkled  with  his  blood.  The  officiating  priest,  a 
typical  Jew,  wipes  his  knife  and  washes  his  hands,  un- 
willing that  even  his  robe  should  be  stained  with  that 
blood.  "  As  the  eastern  sky  catches  at  sunset  the  color 
of  the  reddened  west,  so  Bethlehem  is  a  prelude  to  Cal- 
vary, and  even  the  infant's  cradle  is  tinged  with  a  reflec- 
tion from  the  redeemer's  cross." 

"  He,  who  with  heaven's  heraldry  whilere 
Entered  the  world,  now  bleeds  to  give  us  ease ; 
Alas,  how  soon  our  sin  sore  doth  begin 

His  infancy  to  seize, 
And  seals  obedience  first,  with  wounding  smart, 
This  day  ;  but  oh,  ere  long,  huge  pangs  and  strong 

Shall  pierce  more  near  his  heart." 

According  to  the  instruction  of  the  angel  to  Mary  at 
the  annunciation,  and  to  Joseph  in  his  dream,  the  babe 
was  named  Jesus.  This  is  the  Hebrew  name  Hoshea, 
meaning  salvation,  or  Joshua,  meaning  whose  salvation 
is  Jehovah,  modified  through  the  Greek  into  the  Latin 

37 


38  HIS  ADVENT 

and  English  form,  Jesus.  In  those  days  it  was  quite  a 
common  name,  but  though  Joshua  is  still  common,  the 
name  Jesus  has  become  sacredly  peculiar. 

The  forty  days  required  for  legal  purification  having 
passed,  the  Holy  Family  go  to  the  Holy  City  of  Jeru- 
salem, "  Taking  the  Lord  of  the  Temple  into  the  Temple 
of  the  Lord,"  to  offer  at  the  altar  two  turtle-doves,  the 
sacrifice  appointed  to  the  poor. 12 

There  was  then  in  Jerusalem  an  old  man,  Simeon  by 
name,  very  devout,  to  whom  it  had  been  promised  by 
the  Spirit  that  he  should  not  see  death  before  he  had 
seen  the  Lord's  Christ.  He  was  moved  to  come  into  the 
temple  at  this  time,  met  the  Holy  Family,  took  the  child 
Jesus  in  his  arms,  and  lifting  his  eyes  to  heaven,  said : 

"  Now  dost  thou  let  thy  slave,  O  Master,  depart  in 
peace." 

Thus  begins  the  Nunc  Dimittis,  in  which  psalm,  Sim- 
eon is  the  first  to  proclaim  Jesus  to  be  the  Messiah  of 
prophecy,  and  a  light  for  the  unveiling  of  the  Gentiles. 
Then,  after  blessing  the  parents,  he  told  Mary  that  her 
child  was  set  for  a  test  of  character  among  men,  and 
added : 

"  Yea,  and  a  sword  shall  pierce  through  thine  own 
soul." 

The  sorrows  of  the  joyful  mother  were  not  at  end. 

In  the  same  hour  came  Anna,  a  prophetess,  a  widow 
of  great  age,  who  made  her  home  in  the  temple  and  en- 
gaged in  continual  worship.  Looking  on  the  Christ- 
child,  she  recognized  him,  gave  thanks  to  God,  and  then 
published,  to  all  who  looked  for  the  redemption  of  Jeru- 
salem from  the  Romans,  the  glad  tidings  ;  whereby  she 
became  the  third  evangelist. 


THE  RECEPTION  39 

Thus,  by  the  voice  of  man  and  woman,  the  new-born 
King  was  greeted  with  welcome  to  his  palace. 

"  His  throne,  thy  bosom  blest, 
O  Mother  undented ; 
That  throne,  if  aught  beneath  the  skies, 
Beseems  the  sinless  child." 

The  law  in  all  righteousness  being  fulfilled,  the  family 
returned  to  the  temporary  home  in  Bethlehem. 

At  this  time,  as  already  stated,  Herod  the  Great,  so- 
called  by  the  historian  Josephus,  was  king  at  Jerusalem 
over  all  Palestine.  Herod  was  the  son  of  Antipater,  an 
Idumean.  The  Idumeans  were  descendents  of  Esau,  and 
dwelt  south  of  the  Dead  Sea.  In  the  year  1 30  b.  c.  they 
accepted  Judaism  as  their  religion,  and  otherwise  sought 
to  affiliate  with  the  Jews.  After  the  battle  of  Pharsalia, 
48  b.  c,  Julius  Caesar  made  Antipater,  who  was  a  man  of 
ability,  procurator  of  Judea  and  a  Roman  citizen.  Antip- 
ater appointed  Herod  to  be  governor  of  Galilee,  who, 
although  quite  young,  soon  distinguished  himself  by  the 
energy  of  his  government  conducted  in  defiance  of  all 
Jewish  law  and  authority,  and  by  the  exercise  of  a  ruth- 
less severity  which  gave  presage  of  his  later  cruelties. 
He  gained  the  favor  of  Anthony,  the  triumvir  of  Rome, 
who,  after  the  death  of  Antipater,  made  him  tetrarch  of 
Palestine.  Forced  to  abandon  Judea  by  the  revolting 
Jewish  Asmonean  dynasty  aided  by  the  Parthians,  he 
fled  to  Rome,  was  well  received  by  Anthony  and  Octa- 
vius,  and  decreed  by  the  senate  King  of  Judea.  Return- 
ing with  an  army,  he  stormed  Jerusalem  with  great 
slaughter  in  the  year  37  b.  c,  and  reigned  there  for  thirty- 
three  years,  a  usurper  of  the  throne  of  David. 


4o  HIS  ADVENT 

Herod  was  a  man  of  consummate  address.  Imme- 
diately after  the  battle  of  Actium,  31  b.  a,  wherein  An- 
thony, his  friend  and  ally,  was  defeated  by  Octavius,  he 
hastened  to  Rhodes,  and  presented  himself  before  the 
victor.  He  had  not  miscalculated  his  personal  influence 
over  the  young  Octavius.  Instead  of  apologizing  for  his 
faithful  adherence  to  Anthony,  he  adroitly  urged  it  as  a 
proof  of  the  constancy  to  himself  which  the  conqueror 
might  expect.  He  returned  to  Judea  invested  anew  with 
the  diadem,  and  honored  with  marks  of  personal  favor. 
It  is  said  that  next  after  Agrippa,  the  lifelong  friend, 
counsellor  and  prime  minister  of  Augustus,  he,  the  Em- 
peror, held  Herod  in  highest  esteem. 

The  confirmed  king  sought  to  ingratiate  himself  with 
his  Jewish  subjects  in  various  ways,  but  especially  by  lav- 
ish expenditure  on  public  works,  in  imitation  of  his 
Roman  masters.  He  built  on  the  coast  the  splendid  city 
Csesarea,  and  furnished  it  with  a  vast  artificial  harbor.  He 
rebuilt  the  city  Samaria,  naming  it  Sebaste,  the  Greek  for 
Augustus,  and  restored  the  demolished  Samaritan  temple 
on  Mount  Gerizim.  He  constructed  aqueducts  for  Jeru- 
salem, and  many  other  works  ;  as,  the  Antonia,  a  fortress 
adjoining  the  temple,  named  from  his  friend  Anthony, 
then  three  impregnable  towers  on  the  western  wall  of  the 
city,  also  a  magnificent  palace  for  himself  near  by  the 
towers,  besides  a  fortified  palace  and  a  mausoleum,  the 
Herodium,  about  twelve  miles  southeast  of  the  city. 
His  most  famous  work  was  the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple 
at  Jerusalem  on  a  magnificent  scale  to  vie  with  that  of 
Solomon.  This  great  work,  though  unfinished  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  is  known  in  history  as  Herod's  Temple. 
But  along  with  these  and  other  large  and  liberal  schemes, 
there  was  a  constant  effort  to  Romanize,  to  liberalize  and 


THE  RECEPTION  41 

heathenize  the  nation,  very  like  the  effort  made  a  century 
and  a  half  before  by  Antiochus  Epiphanes  to  Hellenize  it, 
which  for  the  stiff-necked  Jew  was  intolerable. 

Moreover,  Herod's  personal  crimes  made  him  odious 
to  the  people.  Their  detail  would  be  sickening,  their 
catalogue  alone  too  long.  Just  what  concerns  his  family: 
He  divorced  the  first  of  his  ten  wives  Doris,  the  mother 
of  his  eldest  son  and  presumptive  heir  Antipater,  to 
marry  Mariamne,  a  beautiful  Jewish  princess  of  the  As- 
monean  line.  In  fits  of  royal  jealousy  he  murdered  her 
and  their  two  sons,  also  her  mother  Alexandra,  and  her 
brother  Aristobulus.  Josephus  says  :  "  Herod  slew  all 
those  of  his  own  family  who,  siding  with  the  Jews,  looked 
forward  to  a  change  in  the  royal  line."  The  jealousy  of 
royal  succession,  ever  how  prolific  of  crime  !  Just  before 
his  death  he  murdered  Antipater  also.     Enough. 

With  all  his  unquestionable  ability  and  royal  magnifi- 
cence, Herod  was  an  odious  tyrant,  and  a  bloody  crimi- 
nal. His  exactions  and  massacres  were  so  great  and 
frequent  that  Augustus  declared :  "  The  survivors  are  more 
wretched  than  the  slain."  His  title,  the  Great,  cannot 
be  denied  on  these  lines.  It  was,  however,  an  inversion 
of  that  conferred  on  John  by  the  angel  of  annunciation : 
"  Great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord." 

At  the  time  of  the  advent,  this  Idumean  usurper  was 
old  and  diseased,  remorseful  and  irritable.  His  hope  of 
perpetuity  in  a  purely  Herodian  dynasty,  was  turning  to 
despair.  But  it  was  his  ruling  passion,  and  at  the  last  the 
dying  flame  leaped  up  in  final  glow  upon  the  occasion 
now  to  be  narrated. 

Not  long  after  the  presentation  of  the  infant  Jesus  in 
the  Temple,  all  Jerusalem  was  stirred  by  the  coming  of 


42  HIS  ADVENT 

certain    Magi    from   the   far   East,  and  their  public  in- 
quiry : 

"  Where  is  he  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews  ?  For 
we,  while  in  the  East,  saw  his  star,  and  are  come  to  pay 
him  homage." 13 

The  Magi,  or  wise  men,  were  Chaldaeans  from  Meso- 
potamia in  the  far  East.  They  were  magicians,  sooth- 
sayers, astrologers,  professing  to  read  the  fate  of  men  and 
nations  in  the  stars,  and  represented  the  science  of  that 
day.  They  belonged  to  an  order  supposed  to  have 
originated  with  Balaam,  who  fourteen  centuries  before 
was  brought  from  Chaldaea  to  curse  Israel  when  about  to 
enter  the  promised  land,  but  whose  curse  was  changed  to 
blessing.  For  he  heard  the  words  of  God,  and  saw  the 
vision  of  the  Almighty,  in  a  trance,  but  having  his  eyes 
open,  and  thereupon  uttered  the  grand  prophecy  : 

"  I  shall  see  him,  but  not  now, 
I  shall  behold  him,  but  not  nigh ; 
There  shall  come  a  Star  out  of  Jacob, 
And  a  Sceptre  shall  rise  out  of  Israel ; 
And  he  shall  have  dominion." 

Eight  or  more  centuries  after  this,  Nebuchadnezzar 
applied  to  the  Magi  to  tell  him  his  forgotten  dream. 
They  could  not.  For  this  cause  the  king  was  angry  and 
very  furious,  and  commanded  to  slay  all  the  wise  men  of 
Babylon.  A  hundred  years  afterwards,  Ahasuerus,  the 
Persian  Xerxes  of  Grecian  history,  consulted  the  Magi  in 
the  case  of  Vashti  his  wife,  and  adopted  their  advice  of 
divorce.  During  Persian  dominion,  the  Magi  were 
avowed  followers  of  Zoroaster,  one  of  the  four  great 
sages  of  antiquity,  and  besides  divination  practiced  as 
priests  the  worship  of  fire  and  of  the  starry  spheres. 


THE  RECEPTION  43 

In  later  times,  visits  of  the  Magi  to  the  west  were  not 
infrequent.  Diogenes  Laertius  writes  that  Aristotle  said 
a  Syrian  Magician  predicted  to  Socrates  he  should  die  a 
violent  death.  Seneca  tells  that  Magi,  qui  forte  Athenis 
erant,  visited  the  tomb  of  Plato  and  offered  him  divine 
honors  with  incense. 

Also  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  historians  Tacitus, 
Suetonius  and  Josephus  concur  in  the  statement  that 
there  prevailed  in  those  days  throughout  the  East  an  in- 
tense conviction,  due  to  ancient  prophecies,  that  a  mon- 
arch should  arise  in  Judea,  and  gain  world-wide  domin- 
ion. Josephus,  as  courtier,  persistently  points  to  Ves- 
pasian as  this  monarch,  but  Vergil,  in  his  fourth  Eclogue, 
to  the  son  of  Pollio.  The  expectation  was  familiar 
with  the  Jews  in  their  Messiah,  and,  owing  perhaps  to 
Balaam's  prophecy,  they  connected  his  advent  in  some 
vague  way  with  a  star.  Even  a  hundred  years  after 
Christ,  in  the  reign  of  Hadrian,  Bar-Cocheba,  son  of  a 
star,  professing  to  be  the  Messiah,  incited  an  insurrection 
of  the  Jews.  Its  duration  and  extent  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  coins,  still  extant,  were  struck  for  his  followers 
in  his  name. 

In  the  year  1603,  Kepler,  the  Danish  astronomer,  ob- 
served a  conjunction  of  the  planets  Jupiter  and  Saturn  in 
the  zodiacal  sign  Pisces.  On  calculating  back,  he  found 
that  this  had  occurred  in  the  year  7  b.  c.  (a.  u.  c.  747), 
and  that  Mars  joined  them  in  the  spring  of  the  following 
year.  This  was  nearly  two  years  before  the  nativity  at 
the  close  of  5  b.  c.  (a.  u.  c.  749).  For  this  reason,  the 
captivating  supposition  of  Kepler,  that  the  conjunction 
was  the  "  Star  in  the  East,"  is  now  discredited.  Besides, 
the  record  is  distinctly  of  a  star,  not  of  a  group  or  con- 
stellation.    Still  we  may  be  sure  that  a  phenomenon  so 


44  HIS  ADVENT 

extraordinary  deeply  impressed  the  Chaldaean  astrologers, 
and  perhaps  as  it  occurred  in  the  sign  Pisces,  which  their 
science  connected  with  the  fortunes  of  Judea,  it  turned 
their  thoughts  thither;  and  that  the  meteoric  star,  the 
same  that  afterwards  guided  their  steps,  first  appeared  to 
them  while  yet  in  the  far  East,  on  the  very  night  of  the 
nativity,  a  scintillation  from  the  flaming  glories  that  were 
dazzling  the  shepherds  of  Bethlehem. 

The  preparation  of  their  caravan,  and  the  journey  of 
the  Magi  with  their  servants  and  camels  to  Jerusalem, 
occupied  at  least  six  weeks.  When  Herod  the  usurper 
heard  of  their  arrival  and  inquiry  for  the  new-born  King, 
he  was  greatly  troubled ;  the  jealousy  of  succession  came 
upon  him.  He  proceeded  very  adroitly,  with  the  stealth 
of  a  tiger-cat.  Calling  a  council  of  the  learned  Jews,  he 
inquired  where  Messiah  should  be  born.  The  answer 
was,  according  to  prophecy,  in  Bethlehem  of  Judea.  He 
then  privately  interviewed  the  Magi,  and  having  ascer- 
tained from  them  when  the  star  appeared,  directed  them 
to  Bethlehem,  and  said  to  them  with  bland  hypocrisy : 

"  Go,  find  the  young  child,  and  bring  me  word,  that  I 
also  may  come  and  pay  him  homage." 

They  at  once  began  their  quest,  though  night  was 
closing  in ;  and  lo,  the  star,  which  they  had  seen  in  the 
East,  went  before  them  unto  Bethlehem,  and  came  and 
stood  over  the  house  where  the  young  child  was. 

"  Heaven's  youngest  teemed  star 
Hath  fix'd  her  polished  car, 
Her  sleeping  Lord  with  handmaid  lamp  attending." 

And  they  came  into  the  house,  and  saw  the  infant 
Jesus  with  Mary  his  mother;  and  they  fell  down  and 


THE  RECEPTION  45 

worshipped  him ;  and  opening  their  treasures,  they 
offered  unto  him  gifts,  gold  and  frankincense  and  myrrh. 
This  homage  to  royalty  ended,  they  left  the  house  for 
the  camp  of  their  caravan  just  outside  the  village.  It 
was  now  late  in  the  night.  While  they  slept  in  their 
tents  a  dream  angel  warned  them  that  they  should  not 
return  unto  Herod.  In  the  early  morning  they  quietly 
folded  their  tents,  and  silently  stole  away. 

The  Judean  shepherds  were  the  first  to  worship  him, 
then  secondly  the  Chaldaean  Magi ;  the  Jew  first,  then  the 
Gentile.  The  scene  is  known  as  the  Epiphany,  or 
manifestation  of  Christ  to  the  Gentiles.  It  was  the 
morning  star  of  the  universal  Church;  and  ever  since 
that  morn,  through  the  growing  centuries  — 

"  Behold  her  wisest  throng  thy  gate, 
Her  richest,  sweetest,  purest  store, 
Yet  own'd  too  worthless  or  too  late, 
They  lavish  on  thy  cottage  floor." 

"  Thee,  on  the  bosom  laid 

Of  a  pure  virgin  mind, 
In  quiet  ever,  and  in  shade, 

Shepherd  and  Sage  may  find ; 
They  who  have  bowed  untaught  to  Nature's  sway, 
And  they  who  follow  Truth  along  her  star-paved  way." 

The  Epiphany  was  moreover  the  homage  of  Science 
to  Religion.  Her  gifts  were  symbolical,  recognizing  the 
royalty,  the  divinity,  the  mortality  of  the  King,  divine, 
incarnate. 

Concerning  this  event  many  traditions  have  been 
handed  down,  some  merely  silly.  That  the  visiting 
Magi  were  three  in  number  is  inferred  from  the  gifts 
being   three;    though   Chrysostom   and  Augustine  say 


46  HIS  ADVENT 

four  times  three  or  twelve,  the  number  of  the  tribes,  and 
of  the  apostles.  The  venerable  Bede  names  the  three, 
Melchior,  Balthazar,  Caspar.  Melchior  is  said  to  have 
been  an  old  man,  a  descendent  from  Shem,  an  Asiatic ; 
Balthazar,  a  middle  aged  man,  a  descendent  from  Japhet, 
a  European ;  Caspar,  a  young  man,  a  descendent  from 
Ham,  an  African.  Thus  are  represented  the  three 
periods  of  life,  the  three  races  of  mankind,  and  the  three 
old-world  continents.  That  they  were  oriental  kings  is 
inferred  from  the  prophecies : 

"  And  the  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thy  light, 
And  kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy  rising." 

"  The  kings  of  Tarshish  and  of  the  Isles  shall  give  presents ; 
The  kings  of  Arabia  and  Saba  shall  bring  gifts." 

The  adoration  of  the  wise  men  occurred  late  in  the 
evening  after  dark.  At  midnight  the  dream  angel,  who 
was  quite  busy  that  night,  appeared  to  Joseph  as  he 
slept,  saying  : 

"  Arise  and  take  the  young  child  and  his  mother  and 
flee  into  Egypt,  and  be  thou  there  until  I  tell  thee;  for 
Herod  will  seek  the  young  child  to  destroy  him."  u 

So  Joseph  arose,  made  hasty  preparation,  aroused  the 
mother  and  babe,  and  fled  with  them  in  the  wintry  night 
from  Bethlehem  southward,  he  afoot,  Mary  riding  the 
donkey  and  carrying  the  babe.  It  was  about  sixty  miles 
to  the  southwestern  border  of  Palestine  ;  the  district  be- 
yond was  known  as  Egypt.  Once  across  the  border  they 
were  out  of  Herod's  jurisdiction,  and  safe  from  his 
power;  for  he  would  not  dare  to  offend  his  Roman 
masters  by  transgressing  the  bounds  they  had  set, 


THE  RECEPTION  47 

The  descent  in  a  few  hours  from  the  receipt  of  the 
homage  and  gifts  of  the  Magi  to  this  anxious  flight  by 
night  into  Egypt,  was  a  sudden  and  piteous  humiliation. 
While  yet  a  suckling  only  six  weeks  old,  the  babe  is 
again  threatened  with  violent  death,  and  to  escape  be- 
comes an  exile.  The  hardships  must  have  been  great. 
Years  afterwards  he  counselled  his  followers  in  Judea  to 
flee  from  danger,  but  to  pray  that  their  flight  be  not  in 
winter. 

Of  the  incidents  of  this  journey  and  of  the  exile  in 
Egypt,  nothing  is  known,  but  there  are  many  idle  tradi- 
tions. In  the  pseudo-gospels  it  is  told  that  on  the  way 
roses  of  Jericho  sprang  up  and  blossomed  from  his  foot- 
steps, that  at  his  command  the  lofty  palms  bent  down 
and  yielded  their  fruit,  that  lions  and  dragons  shrank  back 
in  terror  and  robbers  were  overawed  by  his  majesty,  that 
the  journey  was  miraculously  shortened,  and  that  on  his 
entrance  into  Egypt  all  idols  fell  and  were  shattered,  all 
demons  fled,  and  all  disease  disappeared. 

Next  morning  after  the  Epiphany  and  the  Flight, 
Herod,  to  whom  the  Magi  had  paid  no  homage  and 
given  no  presents  and  made  no  report  of  their  discovery, 
was  exceeding  wroth.  He  was  suffering  now  at  the  age 
of  seventy  years  from  an  ulcerous  disease  that  was  prey- 
ing upon  his  vitals.  He  had  recently  been  to  the  warm 
baths  of  Callirhoe  on  the  east  coast  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
seeking  relief.  Finding  none,  he  returned  through 
Jericho,  and  while  there  ordered  representatives  of  the 
chief  families  of  Judea  to  be  shut  up  in  the  hippodrome, 
and  to  be  put  to  death  as  soon  as  he  himself  expired, 
that  his  funeral  might  not  want  mourners.  Soon  after 
his  return  to  his  palace  at  Jerusalem,  he  was  alarmed  by 


48  HIS  ADVENT 

the  inquiry  of  the  Magi,  and  then  enraged  by  their 
mockery  of  his  command.15 

Herod  made  no  more  search  for  the  new-born  king, 
but  in  his  inflamed  jealousy  of  succession,  promptly  sent 
a  detachment  from  his  bodyguard  of  foreign  mercenaries, 
the  customary  executioners  of  oriental  tyranny,  with 
orders  to  slay  all  the  male  infants  in  Bethlehem  of  two 
years  old  and  under.  Why  did  he  limit  his  order  to  the 
male  infants?  Because  the  new-born  king  was  desig- 
nated as  a  man  child,  and  because  females  were  not  eligi- 
ble for  the  throne.  Why  did  he  extend  the  order  to 
infants  of  two  years?  Probably  because  when  he  in- 
quired of  the  Magi  particularly  what  time  the  star 
appeared,  they  had  told  him  not  only  of  the  meteoric 
star,  but  also  of  the  planetary  conjunction  in  Pisces  of 
two  years  before,  which  had  so  greatly  impressed  them ; 
and  he  confusing  these  phenomena,  and  wishing  to  make 
sure  work  of  it,  named  the  full  time. 

This  heartless,  this  terrible  order  was  thoroughly  exe- 
cuted. 

"  The  darlings  of  their  Lord 
Play  smiling  at  the  flashing  sword ; 
And,  ere  they  speak,  to  his  sure  word 

Unconscious  witness  give." 

But  the  babe  whom  the  massacre  was  designed  to  in- 
clude was  now  out  of  reach  of  the  dripping  swords,  and 
out  of  hearing  of  the  wailing  mothers  who  would  not  be 
comforted.  The  babes  that  suffered  were  the  first  Chris- 
tian martyrs,  the  proto-martyrs,  flores  martyrum.  Their 
murder,  believed  to  include  his,  covered  the  escape  of  the 
child  Jesus.  They  died  for  him  that  he  might  live,  he 
would  die  for  them  that  they  might  never  die.  The  man 
Jesus  loved  little  children.     He  took  them  in  his  arms 


THE  RECEPTION  49 

and  blessed  them,  with  a  silent  thought  perhaps  of  the 
little  ones  whose  blood  was  shed  for  him. 


"  Mindful  of  these  the  first-fruits  sweet 
Borne  by  the  suffering  Church  her  Lord  to  greet, 
Bless'd  Jesus  ever  loved  to  trace 
The  starry  brightness  of  an  infant's  face ; 
He  raised  them  in  his  holy  arms, 
He  bless'd  them  from  the  world  and  all  its  harms ; 
Heirs  though  they  were  of  sin  and  shame, 
He  bless'd  them  in  his  own  and  in  his  Father's  name." 


The  Massacre  of  the  Innocents  is  the  most  detestable 
crime,  save  one,  in  all  history.  The  number  slain  was 
probably  not  more  than  ten,  or  twenty  at  most,  but  the 
inherent  cruelty  of  the  deed,  the  practice  of  arbitrary 
royal  power  upon  innocent  and  helpless  babes,  and  yet 
more  the  intended  regicide  of  the  Lord  of  glory,  have 
excited  intense  horror  in  all  Christian  times  and  realms. 
The  ancient  writers  of  secular  history  neglect  to  mention 
it.  But  why  should  they  not?  The  crimes  of  Herod 
were  so  many,  so  extensive  and  so  atrocious,  that  we  can 
readily  understand  the  oversight  of  one,  especially  of 
one  whose  peculiar  monstrosity  was  not  apparent  to  the 
early  historians ;  for,  in  those  days,  infanticide  was  com- 
monly unheeded  or  lightly  regarded.  As  an  instance,  a 
curious  parallel  to  Herod's  deed  is  barely  mentioned  by 
Suetonius  in  his  Life  of  Augustus.  He  tells  that 
shortly  before  the  emperor's  decease,  there  was  a 
prophecy  in  Rome  of  a  king ;  whereupon  the  senate  de- 
creed that  all  male  children  of  the  nobility  born  during 
the  year  should  be  exposed ;  but  the  senatorial  matrons, 
prompted  by  maternal  instinct  and  affection,  to  which 
was   superadded  in  each  case  the  hope  of  being  the 


50  HIS  ADVENT 

mother  of  the  predicted  king,  contrived  to  elude  the  de- 
cree of  their  lords. 

Satisfied  that  he  had  succeeded  in  destroying  the  new- 
born King  of  the  Jews,  the  despotic  usurper  turned  to 
other  matters.  Some  months  before  this  time,  Antipater, 
his  eldest  son  and  presumptive  heir,  had  plotted  the 
death  of  his  father,  was  detected,  condemned  and  im- 
prisoned, and  was  awaiting  the  edict  of  Augustus  per- 
mitting his  execution.  It  came.  The  father  hesitated. 
Meantime  in  a  frenzy  he  attempted  suicide.  The  son 
hearing  a  false  report  of  his  death,  tried  to  bribe  his 
jailer  to  release  him.  The  father,  learning  this,  imme- 
diately ordered  his  execution,  and  the  son  was  strangled 
in  his  cell.  History  has  a  curious  reference  to  this  act. 
Macrobius,  writing  in  the  fifth  century,  says :  Augustus, 
when  he  heard  that  among  the  boys  of  two  years  old 
whom  Herod  the  King  of  the  Jews  ordered  to  be  slain, 
his  own  son  also  was  slain,  said,  It  is  better  to  be  Herod's 
swine,  3v,  than  his  son,  vwv.  The  imperial  punster 
speaking  Greek,  and  sarcastically  hinting  that  Herod's 
religion  protected  his  swine  but  not  his  sons,  confuses 
the  massacre  of  the  babes  with  the  execution  of  Antip- 
ater, and  thus  incidentally  confirms  the  historic  actuality 
of  the  former. 

Herod  immediately  changed  his  will  and  nominated 
Archelaus,  another  of  his  sons,  to  be  heir  to  the  crown. 
Then,  only  five  days  after  the  execution  of  Antipater,  he 
himself  died,  and  Archelaus  reigned  in  his  stead.  He 
was  honored  with  a  splendid  funeral,  the  remains  being 
escorted  with  great  pomp  past  Bethlehem  to  the  Hero- 
dium.  But  there  was  no  mourning.  The  chiefs  im- 
prisoned in  the  hippodrome  at  Jericho  were  set  free,  and 
the  people  took  heart  again. 


THE  RECEPTION  51 

How  hath  the  oppressor  ceased,  the  gold-exactor 
ceased  !  The  staff  of  the  wicked  is  broken,  the  sceptre 
of  the  ruler.  The  earth  is  at  rest.  The  fir  trees  rejoice, 
the  cedars  of  Lebanon  break  forth  into  singing.  Hades 
beneath  is  moved  for  him,  to  meet  him  at  his  coming. 
It  stirreth  up  the  dead,  all  the  chief  ones  of  the  earth. 
They  speak  and  say  :  Art  thou  become  as  weak  as  we? 
Art  thou  become  like  unto  us  ?  Thy  pomp  is  brought 
down  to  the  grave,  the  worms  cover  thee.  How  art  thou 
fallen,  thou  surnamed  the  Great !  Thou  didst  say  in 
thine  heart,  I  will  ascend  to  the  heaven,  I  will  ascend 
above  the  clouds,  I  will  exalt  my  throne  among  the  stars 
of  God.  Yet  now  thou  art  brought  down  to  Hades.  Is 
this  the  man  that  did  shake  kingdoms,  and  destroyed  the 
cities  thereof;  who  built  new  cities,  and  temples  and 
palaces  ?  How  art  thou  fallen  from  thy  heaven,  O 
Lucifer,  star  of  the  morning  ! 

After  this  greeting  the  host  conducts  Herod  with  high 
acclaim  from  the  open  gates  of  Hades  to  the  great  hall 
of  Pandemonium.  Satan  descends  from  his  high  throne 
of  royal  state  to  welcome  him.     They  embrace. 

Satan  in  Eden  had  heard  the  promise  of  seed  that 
should  bruise  his  head,  and  had  been  anxiously  expecting 
its  advent  all  along  the  many  and  slow  centuries.  He 
was  in  possession  of  the  world,  and  Herod  was  a  vice- 
gerent doing  his  will  thoroughly.  Both  were  startled  by 
the  star  of  Bethlehem.  Satan  instigated  the  massacre. 
Now  at  this  meeting  they  congratulated  each  other  on  its 
success.  Satan  remounts  his  throne,  seats  Herod  at  his 
right  hand,  and  calls  upon  all  potentates,  principalities 
and  powers  of  the  realm  of  darkness  to  do  honor  to  him 
by  whose  master  stroke  dominion  in  the  upper  world 
was  thenceforth  made  secure.     At  the  conclusion  of  this 


52  HIS  ADVENT 

ceremony,  he  nominated  Tiberius  Caesar  to  be  his  im- 
perial vicegerent.  Then  with  the  surety  that  his  worldly 
affairs  were  in  competent  hands,  and  under  the  delusion 
that  the  seed  of  the  woman  had  been  destroyed,  he  re- 
laxed his  vigilance,  and  spent  with  Herod  thirty  years  in 
malignant  gaiety  and  fancied  security. 

The  death  of  Herod  occurred  about  April  1st,  4  b.  c, 
shortly  before  the  Passover.  The  exile  of  Jesus  in  Egypt, 
just  beyond  the  southern  border  of  Palestine,  continued 
through  the  months  of  February  and  March.  At  Herod's 
decease,  the  dream  angel  ordered  Joseph  to  return  with 
his  charge  into  the  land  of  Israel.  So  the  Holy  Family 
promptly  came,  about  the  time  of  Passover,  to  Hebron, 
where  it  lingered  awhile  in  the  home  of  its  kinsfolk,  the 
aged  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth  with  their  babe  John  now 
nine  months  old.  Apparently  Joseph  intended  returning 
to  Bethlehem  and  making  it  his  permanent  home.  He 
would  thus  avoid  the  malignant  gossips  at  Nazareth,  and 
properly  respect  the  momentous  events,  significant  of 
royalty,  which  had  occurred  at  Bethlehem.  But  when 
he  heard  that  Archelaus  ruled  in  his  father's  stead,  he 
feared  to  go  thither.  Then  the  dream  angel,  appearing 
to  him  the  fourth  time,  commanded  his  return  to  Naza- 
reth, which  was  beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  Archelaus. 
Obediently  Joseph  led  the  donkey  bearing  the  Virgin 
and  child  northwestward,  leaving  Bethlehem  and  Jerusa- 
lem on  his  right,  towards  Joppa,  then  followed  the  coast 
along  the  plain  of  Sharon,  crossed  the  ridge  of  Carmel 
and  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  entered  the  little  valley,  and 
reached  the  home  in  Nazareth  there  to  dwell ;  for,  of  the 
child  it  was  decreed,  He  shall  be  called  a  Nazarene.18 


PART  SECOND 


His  Investiture 


i,         '/  ^^     ''/,   V|,|    >"-     ■         C^fO      ^intuit 

V^;;, °' 

^fci!, * 


JERUSALEM 

in  the  time  of  Christ 

8CALE   OF   ONE    ROMAN   MILE. 


«    STADIA 
,000  FEET 

BORMAV  A   CO.,    N.Y. 


Copyright  rju,h,t  Filming H  Revell  Company. 


V 
THE  PREPARATION 

THE  final  will  of  Herod  the  Great  divided  his 
kingdom.  To  Philip  II,  son  of  his  fifth  wife,  it 
gave  the  portion  north  and  east  of  Galilee,  with 
the  title  of  Tetrarch.  To  Antipas,  son  of  his  fourth  wife, 
a  Samaritan,  it  gave  Galilee  and  Peraea,  with  the  title  of 
Tetrarch.  To  Archelaus,  a  younger  brother  of  Antipas, 
it  gave  Idumea,  Judea  and  Samaria,  with  the  title  of 
King.  Philip  I,  son  of  his  third  wife,  was  disinherited 
because  of  the  supposed  treason  of  his  mother,  as  were 
also  for  like  reason  the  descendents  of  Mariamne  his  sec- 
ond wife. 

Archelaus  was  at  once  recognized  by  the  Jewish  au- 
thorities as  king  in  Judea,  and  thereupon  he  offered  royal 
sacrifice  in  the  Temple.  During  the  Passover,  just  then 
at  hand,  rebellious  murmurs  were  heard  among  the  peo- 
ple, and  reported  to  him.  He  promptly  suppressed  the 
incipient  revolt  by  a  military  slaughter  in  the  Temple  of 
three  thousand  men.  Probably  it  was  the  news  of  this 
dreadful  event  that  alarmed  Joseph  at  Hebron,  making 
him  fear  to  return  to  Bethlehem. 

The  several  bequests  named  above  were  not  valid  until 
confirmed  by  the  emperor,  Augustus  Caesar.  To  seek 
this  confirmation  Archelaus  now  set  out  for  Rome.  He 
was  followed  by  a  deputation  of  five  hundred  Jews  pro- 
testing against  his  rule.  Also  he  was  followed  by  his 
elder  brother,  Antipas,  who  had  reasonably  expected  to 

55 


56  HIS  INVESTITURE 

receive  the  kingdom  of  Judea,  and  who  now  set  himself 
to  contest  the  claim  of  Archelaus.  Nevertheless,  Augus- 
tus confirmed  the  bequests  of  Herod,  except  that  he  as- 
signed to  Archelaus  the  title  of  Ethnarch  of  Judea  in- 
stead of  King,  with  the  imperial  promise  of  the  latter 
title  should  his  conduct  prove  him  worthy.  Thus  with 
the  death  of  Herod  the  supremacy  of  Judea  in  the  Pales- 
tinian domain  came  to  an  end.  The  sceptre  departed 
from  Judah,  and  the  lawgiver  from  between  his  feet,  for 
Shiloh  had  come. 

Archelaus  returned  to  Jerusalem  embittered,  and  en- 
tered upon  a  rule  marked  by  the  vices  and  severity,  with- 
out the  ability,  of  his  father.  His  story  thus  far  is  prob- 
ably the  historical  basis  of  the  parable  of  The  Pounds, 
Luke  19 :  12-27.  After  a  disorderly  rule  of  nine  years  as 
Ethnarch  of  Judea,  complaints  prevailed,  and  Archelaus, 
suddenly  summoned  by  Augustus  to  Rome,  was  banished 
to  Vienne  in  Gaul. 

Idumea,  Judea  and  Samaria  were  then,  6  a.  d.,  united 
as  the  Roman  Province  of  Judea,  and  governed  for  the 
emperor  by  procurators,  whose  seat  of  government  was 
Caesarea.  The  sixth  procurator  was  Pontius  Pilate,  who 
held  office  from  26  to  37  a.  d.,  when  he  was  deposed 
and  banished. 

During  four  decades  under  the  milder  rule  of  Antipas, 
Galilee  enjoyed  comparative  quiet.  Of  what  occurred  at 
Nazareth  in  the  twelve  years  following  the  return  of  the 
Holy  Family  from  exile  in  Egypt,  there  is  nothing  to  tell. 
The  history  of  those  years  is  an  eloquent  silence.  To 
meet  a  natural  and  vehement  curiosity,  a  variety  of  mar- 
vellous stories  were  invented  in  the  early  centuries,  which 
passed  into  oral  tradition,  or  were  recorded  in  apocryphal 


THE  PREPARATION  57 

gospels.  Of  these  the  Protevangelium,  the  Arabic  Gos- 
pel of  the  Infancy,  the  Pseudo-Matthew,  and  some  others, 
are  still  extant.  They  not  only  tell  us  that  all  Nature 
stood  still  in  the  hour  of  the  nativity,  and  that  marvels 
attended  the  flight  and  sojourn  in  Egypt,  but  also  they 
ascribe  a  number  of  puerile  miracles  to  Jesus  during  his 
childhood  at  Nazareth.  These  apocryphal  stories  are  of 
little  interest  and  of  no  profit,  except  to  illustrate  by  con- 
trast the  simplicity,  the  reserve,  and  the  good  taste  of  the 
veritable  gospels. 

There  is  no  reason  and  no  need  to  suppose  that  the 
childhood  of  Jesus  differed  outwardly  from  that  of  other 
children  at  Nazareth,  or  even  that  he  was  what  is  called  a 
precocious  child.  We  know  certainly  that  he  grew  and 
waxed  strong,  becoming  full  of  wisdom  and  grace,  that 
his  physical  health  and  increasing  vigor  were  attended  by 
expanding  intellect  and  spiritual  aspiration. 

"  For  nature,  crescent,  does  not  grow  alone 
In  thews  and  bulk ;  but,  as  this  temple  waxes, 
The  inward  service  of  the  priestly  soul 
Grows  wide  withal." 

No  doubt  the  child  Jesus  had  his  playthings,  and  his 
playmates.  His  constant  companions  were  his  little 
cousins,  James,  Joses,  Judas  and  Simon,  with  their  sisters, 
children  of  Mary  the  wife  of  Clopas  and  sister-in-law  of 
Mariam  the  Virgin.  So  intimate  were  the  families  that, 
especially  in  later  years,  they  were  usually  regarded  as 
one.  It  is  quite  possible  that,  at  six  years  of  age  and 
after,  Jesus  went  to  school  in  the  Synagogue,  where  the 
teaching  was  altogether  oral,  merely  a  citing  and  reciting 
of  Scripture  texts.  But  it  was  standing  by  the  knee  of 
his  gentle  young  mother  that  he  learned  to  read  the  Scrip- 


58  HIS  INVESTITURE 

ture  himself,  and  to  con  the  sacred  roll,  until  under  her 
loving  guidance  he  became  familiar  with  its  story  and  its 
mystery,  and  knew  by  heart  its  glowing  songs.  Thus 
passed  the  childhood. 

Jewish  law  required  the  men  who  were  its  subjects  to 
attend  the  annual  Pascha,  or  Feast  of  the  Passover.  It 
was  not  required  of  the  women  ;  yet  Mary  accompanied 
Joseph  in  these  yearly  visits  to  Jerusalem.  The  Pascha 
of  the  year  9  a.  d.  began  on  Friday  March  29th,  and 
continued  as  usual  for  a  week.  Jesus  was  now  twelve 
years  and  three  months  old,  or  in  his  thirteenth  year. 
As  twelve  was  the  legal  age,  his  parents  took  him  with 
them  on  this  memorable  occasion,  to  have  him  recognized 
as  a  Son  of  the  Law,  thus  fulfilling  all  righteousness. 

The  country  was  quiet.  Archelaus  had  been  deposed 
and  banished,  and  Coponius,  the  Roman  procurator,  was 
governing  the  province  of  Judea  from  his  seat  in  Caesarea. 
The  Holy  Family  journeyed  southward  from  Nazareth 
going  up  to  Jerusalem,  about  fifty-four  miles,  in  company 
with  their  kinsfolk  and  neighbors.  The  pilgrims  beguiled 
the  tedium  of  the  way  by  singing  the  appointed  Songs 
of  Ascent,  Psalms  120-134,  or  by  recounting  with  patri- 
otic fervor  the  stories  of  ancient  days.  For  at  every  step 
they  were  treading  on  history,  and  its  monuments  were 
seen  on  every  hand.  On  their  left  is  the  Shunem  of 
Elisha,  the  Gilboa  of  Saul  and  Jonathan,  the  royal  city 
of  Jezreel ;  they  cross  the  river  of  Kishon  of  Debora  and 
Barak,  and  climb  the  Carmel  of  Elijah  ;  before  them  lies 
the  ancient  city  of  Samaria  now  renovated  and  renamed 
Sebaste ;  they  reach  Shechem,  and  rest  by  Jacob's  well, 
between  Mts.  Ebal  and  Gerizim,  and  camp  there  for  the 
night ;  next  day  they  pass  Shiloh  and  Gibeah  of  Saul, 


THE  PREPARATION  59 

Bethel  of  Jacob,  and  Ramah  of  Samuel ;  then,  ascending 
a  rising  ground,  they  overlook  Jerusalem,  the  beautiful 
city,  its  towers  and  palaces  kneeling  in  homage  before 
the  great  white  Temple  of  Jehovah  our  God.  As  they 
approach  the  gates,  thronged  with  other  pilgrims,  they 
joyfully  chant : 

"  I  was  glad  when  it  was  said  to  me, 
Let  us  go  unto  the  house  of  Jehovah. 
Our  feet  shall  stand  within  thy  gates,  O  Jerusalem, 
Jerusalem,  the  city  that  is  compactly  builded. 

"  Thither  the  tribes  go  up,  according  to  the  law  for  Israel, 
To  give  thanks  unto  the  name  of  Jehovah. 
For  there  are  set  the  courts  of  judgment, 
The  thrones  of  the  house  of  David. 

"  Pray  ye  for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem  ; 
Let  them  prosper  that  love  thee. 
Peace  be  within  thy  walls, 
And  security  within  thy  palaces. 

"  For  my  brethren  and  companions'  sakes, 
Again  I  say,  Peace  be  within  thee. 
Ever  will  I  seek  to  promote  thy  good, 
Because  of  the  Temple  of  Jehovah  our  God." 

When  the  services  of  the  first  two  days  of  the  Pascha 
were  fulfilled,  Joseph  and  Mary  started  to  return  home, 
but  the  boy  Jesus  tarried  behind  in  Jerusalem.  His 
parents  not  knowing  this,  but  supposing  him  to  be  in 
one  of  the  returning  companies,  went  a  day's  journey. 
Then,  after  they  had  sought  for  him  in  vain  at  the  camps 
of  their  kinsfolk  and  acquaintance,  they  returned,  another 
day's  journey,  to  Jerusalem.  On  a  third  day's  search  in 
the  city,  they  found  him  Tuesday  morning  in  the  Temple, 
under  one  of  the  interior  colonnades,  sitting,  the  posture 
of  a  teacher,  in  the  midst  of  the  Doctors  of  the  Law,  both 


60  HIS  INVESTITURE 

answering  and  asking  questions ;  and  all  that  heard  him 
were  astonished  at  his  understanding  and  his  answers. 17 

Among  the  Doctors  of  the  Jewish  University  who 
were  amazed  and  confounded  at  the  erudition  and  spirit- 
uality of  the  boy  Jesus,  we  reckon  Annas,  lately  ap- 
pointed High  Priest ;  and  Caiaphas,  his  future  judges ; 
also  the  aged  Hillel,  the  Glory  of  the  Law,  founder  of  the 
Liberal  School;  and  Simeon  his  son  and  successor, 
afterwards  president  of  the  Sanhedrin,  possibly  he 
who  had  blessed  the  babe  Jesus  and  pronounced  the 
Nunc  Dimittis.  Gamaliel,  the  son  of  Simeon,  the  famous 
third  head  of  the  School  and  teacher  of  Saul  of  Tarsus, 
at  this  time  a  young  man,  was  perhaps  an  amazed 
listener ;  and  Philo  of  Alexandria,  the  famous  Hellenizer, 
then  likewise  a  young  man,  was  possibly  present. 

Unawed  by  the  august  faculty  in  session,  the  mother 
of  the  boy  Jesus  kneeled  beside  him  and  put  her  arms 
around  him,  saying : 

"  Child,  why  hast  thou  thus  dealt  with  us  ?  Behold, 
thy  father  and  I  sought  thee  sorrowing." 

There  is  a  tone  of  gentle  reproof  in  this  maternal  com- 
plaint which  is  quite  reasonable  and  natural.  Jesus  rose 
to  his  feet,  and  with  a  new  dignity  replied : 

"  How  is  it  that  ye  sought  me  ?  Wist  ye  not  that  I 
must  be  in  my  Father's  house  ?  " 

Or  more  literally : 

"  Did  ye  not  know  that  it  is  binding  on  me  to  be 
(engaged)  in  the  things  (affairs,  interests)  of  my 
Father?" 

These  words  repudiate  the  paternity  referred  to  by 
Mary,  claiming  one  higher,  one  even  of  God.  Here  in 
the  Temple,  in  converse  with  the  Doctors,  first  dawned 
upon  the  boy  Jesus  a  consciousness  of  his  celestial  son- 


THE  PREPARATION  61 

ship  and  terrestrial  mission,  a  consciousness  doubtless 
obscure  at  first  and  only  gradually  clearing  and  expand- 
ing with  maturing  manhood.  It  was  the  new  birth  of 
his  spirit.  Perhaps  herein  is  the  chief  reason  why  the 
history,  giving  no  other  incident  in  the  course  of  thirty 
years,  details  so  emphatically  this  visit  to  Jerusalem. 

According  to  Jewish  tradition  it  was  at  twelve  years 
of  age  that  Moses  left  the  house  of  Pharaoh's  daughter, 
that  Samuel  heard  the  voice  calling  him,  that  Solomon 
pronounced  his  first  judgment,  and  that  Josiah  dreamed 
of  his  great  reform.  Now,  at  like  age,  to  one  greater 
than  these,  is  revealed  himself  and  his  appointed  work. 
Promptly  he  accepts  and  avows  his  mission. 

Thus  his  first  recorded  saying  was  of  his  Father ;  his 
last  dying  words  were  to  his  Father.  The  thought  of 
his  Father  dominated  all  his  conduct  and  teaching.  My 
meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  my  Father.  His  first,  consecrat- 
ing avowal  was  not  understood  by  those  who  heard  it. 
And  so  throughout  his  life  it  was  his  lot  to  be  constantly 
misunderstood.  He  was  in  the  world  and  the  world 
knew  him  not.  But  Mary  kept  all  these  things  and 
pondered  them  in  her  heart. 

The  foregoing  episode  marks  the  passage  from  child- 
hood into  youth.  The  family  returned  home  to  Naza- 
reth. Then  for  eighteen  years  history  is  silent,  saying 
only  that  Jesus  advanced  in  wisdom  as  well  as  age,  and 
in  favor  with  God  and  man.  Some  facts,  however,  may 
be  reasonably  inferred.  Only  one  face  of  the  moon  is 
visible  ;  the  other,  though  unseen,  may  in  some  respects 
be  portrayed. 

Having  become  a  Son  of  the  Law,  Jesus  was  bound  to 
attend  annually  certain   feasts  at  Jerusalem.     Doubtless 


62  HIS  INVESTITURE 

he  fulfilled  this  righteousness.  Hence  also  the  city,  the 
Temple,  its  services  and  desecration,  were  already  familiar 
when  he  reached  manhood. 

Again,  as  a  Son  of  the  Law  he  was  legally  emanci- 
pated in  some  important  particulars  from  parental 
rule.  Nevertheless,  he  is  recorded  as  voluntarily  sub- 
ject during  this  period  of  his  youth  unto  his  par- 
ents. Hence,  along  with  his  growth  in  wisdom  and 
grace,  an  early  and  constantly  manifest  trait  was  hu- 
mility. 

He  learned  and  practiced  his  father's  trade ;  for,  of 
himself  it  was  asked,  Is  not  this  the  carpenter  ?  By 
a  wholesome  and  admirable  custom  every  Jewish  boy 
was  taught  a  trade.  The  Rabbis  were  sometimes  known 
by  their  trades  as  surnames.  Paul  was  a  tent-maker. 
Jesus  was  a  carpenter.  He  made  or  repaired  tables  and 
chairs,  ploughs  and  yokes,  and  was  paid  wages  for  his 
work.  Thus  he  dignified,  for  all  time,  manual  labor. 
The  Greeks  and  Romans,  as  Cicero  tells,  held  mechanics 
in  contempt,  which  we  hear  echoed  in  the  Shakesperian 
phrase,  Ye  base  mechanicals.  Heathen  opponents  of 
Christianity  in  its  early  ages  scoffed  at  its  lowly  origin. 
An  historical  instance,  both  curious  and  illustrative,  may 
be  noted.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  fourth  century,  when 
the  Roman  emperor  Julian  invaded  Persia,  Libanius,  a 
famous  sophist  of  Antioch,  asked  of  a  Christian  jeeringly, 
What  is  your  carpenter  doing  just  now  ?  The  answer 
was,  He  is  making  a  coffin.  Soon  after  came  the  news 
of  Julian's  death.  Modern  evolutionists  there  are  who 
scoff  at  the  Biblical  account  of  creation  as  the  carpenter 
theory,  in  scorn  of  its  mechanical  aspect  as  compared 
with  their  development  hypothesis.  They  speak  better 
than   they  intend ;   for   the  world   was    made   by  him, 


THE  PREPARATION  63 

and  without  him  was  not  anything  made  that  was 
made. 

His  youth  was  spent  in  quiet,  patient  industry,  in  a 
loving  communion  with  Nature,  and  in  thoughtful  study 
of  the  written  Word.  In  after  years  the  Jews  marvelled 
at  his  familiar  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  saying,  How 
knoweth  this  man  letters  having  never  learned ;  that  is 
to  say,  having  never  attended  the  schools  of  the  Rabbis. 
In  his  privacy  he  acquired  also  a  knowledge  of  several 
languages.  Besides  the  Aramaic,  which  was  his  mother- 
tongue  and  vernacular  with  the  Jews,  he  learned  the 
ancient  Hebrew,  and  also  the  current  Greek,  which,  in- 
troduced by  the  successors  of  Alexander  the  Great  into 
Palestine,  was  the  language  of  the  court  and  of  the  culti- 
vated classes.  Possibly  he  knew  the  Latin  tongue  of 
the  then  dominant  Romans.  That  he  was  bilingual  is 
quite  certain,  for  he  quoted  the  Septuagint  or  Greek 
Scriptures.  Yet  it  is  noteworthy,  that  throughout  his 
recorded  life  he  never  made  any  reference  to  profane 
history  or  literature.  His  was  a  life  apart.  He  was 
a  self-made  man. 

The  years  of  his  home  life  at  Nazareth  were  his  happy 
years.  They  were  quiet,  unostentatious,  concealed  from 
history.  Notwithstanding  the  shadow  on  his  birth,  he 
was  personally  popular  with  the  Nazarenes,  enjoying  a 
steady  advance  in  favor  with  men.  Yet  far,  far  more  did 
he  enjoy  his  advance  in  favor  with  God.  The  gradually 
developing  consciousness  of  his  filial  relation,  and  of  his 
momentous  embassy  of  love,  filled  him  with  joy  unspeak- 
able. That  he  did  nothing  wonderful,  says  Bonaventura, 
was  itself  a  wonder.  The  masterly  patience  with  which 
during  thirty  years  of  concealment  he  prepared  for  three 
years  of  public  work,  silently  awaiting  the  coming  of  the 


64  HIS  INVESTITURE 

hour  when  with  complete  consciousness  and  perfected 
powers  he  should  begin  to  work  the  works  of  his  Father, 
is  a  lesson  for  all  time  to  all  mankind. 

It  was  during  this  period  of  the  youth  of  Jesus,  tradi- 
tion says  when  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  that  Joseph 
died.  Soon  after,  Jesus  and  his  widowed  mother  went 
to  live  with  the  family  of  her  sister-in-law  Mary,  the  wife 
of  Clopas  of  Nazareth,  and  such  was  the  intimacy  of  the 
families  that  their  children  were  called  his  brothers  and 
sisters.  In  this  union  of  families  for  the  ten  years  follow- 
ing, he  supported  his  mother  by  his  labor  as  a  mechanic. 
She  had  an  own  sister,  Salome,  the  wife  of  Zebedee, 
whose  home  was  at  Capernaum,  and  whose  two  sons, 
James  and  John,  became  prominent  in  the  subsequent 
history. 

In  the  year  14  a.  d.,  Augustus  Caesar  died,  and  Ti- 
berius Caesar,  the  appointee  of  Satan,  assumed  the 
imperial  purple.  He  reigned  twenty-three  years,  seven 
beyond  the  death  of  Jesus  in  30  a.  d.  Tiberius  sent 
Pontius  Pilate  to  be  governor  of  Judea  in  26  a.  d.,  the 
year  before  that  in  which  Jesus  began  his  public  minis- 
try, and  he  continued  in  office  until  the  decease  of  the 
emperor. 

For  many  years,  Philip  I,  Herod's  eldest  surviving  son, 
lived  disinherited  in  Rome  as  a  private  citizen.  Antipas, 
his  younger  half-brother,  was  tetrarch  of  Galilee  through- 
out the  lifetime  of  Jesus.  He  built  or  rebuilt  a  city  on 
the  southwest  coast  of  the  lake,  and  naming  it  Tiberias 
in  honor  of  the  new  emperor,  took  up  his  residence  in 
it,  thus  locating  near  the  centre  of  his  realm.  Philip  II, 
the  younger  half-brother  of  Antipas,  was  during  the 
same  time  tetrarch  of  the  region  north  and  east  of  the 


THE  PREPARATION  65 

lake.  On  taking  possession  of  his  realm,  he  renovated 
the  town  Bethsaida  (house  of  fish)  on  the  north  coast  of 
the  Sea  of  Galilee,  which  he  surnamed  Julias  after 
the  daughter  of  Augustus,  and  occupied  it  for  some  years 
as  the  seat  of  his  government.  Afterwards  he  rebuilt  a 
city  twelve  miles  south  of  Mt.  Hermon,  called  Paneas 
after  the  sylvan  god  Pan,  and  renamed  it  Caesarea  in 
honor  of  Augustus.  It  was  known  as  Caesarea  Philippi, 
to  distinguish  it  from  the  Caesarea  on  the  Mediterranean 
coast.  Personally  Philip  II  was  the  best  of  the  Herods ; 
Antipas  the  worst. 

Herod  the  Great  had  in  succession  ten  wives,  the  first 
five  and  their  children  are  the  only  ones  that  figure  in 
history.  The  following  table  exhibits  these  and  will 
serve  to  clear  the  somewhat  intricate  relations  of  the 
Herodian  family. 

A.   Herod  thb  Grbat. 

Wive*.  Sons. 

i.  Doris I.  Antipater } 

ii.  Mariamne,  a  princess 2.  Aristobulus >  Executed  by  their  father. 

3.  Alexander | 

iii.  Mariamne,  d.  of  Simon 4.  Herod  Philip  I Lived  at  Rome. 

iv.  Malthace,  a  Samaritan 5.  Herod  Antipas Tetrarch  of  Galilee. 

6.  Archelaus Ethnarch  of  Judxa. 

v.  Cleopatra 7.  Herod  Philip  II Tetrarch  of  Northern  part. 

m.  Salome,  d.  of  Philip 
I.  and  Herodias. 

B.    Children  of  Aristobulus. 

1.  Herod  Agrippa  I King  of  Judaea  (Acts  12  :  1 ). 

2.  Herodias,  married  Philip  I; 

then  Antipas. 

C.  Children  of  Herod  Agrippa  I. 

1.  Herod  Agrippa  II (titular  king,  Acts  25  :  13)       Tetrarch  of  N.  part. 

2.  Berenice Named  in  Acts  2$:  23. 

3.  Drusilla,  m.  to  Felix Named  in  Acts  24:  24. 


VI 
THE  INAUGURATION 

A  HALF  year  before  the  birth  of  Jesus  at  Bethle 
hem,  John  was  born  at  Hebron.  Both  births 
were  miraculous.  The  one  child  was  of  royal, 
the  other  of  priestly  lineage.  They  were  kindred.  The 
childhood  of  the  one  at  Nazareth,  and  that  of  the  other 
at  Hebron,  were  contemporary.  Both  were  early  taught 
lessons  of  practical  piety.  Except  once  while  infants,  it 
is  probable  they  never  met  until  mature  manhood,  and 
so  were  unknown  to  each  other  by  sight. 

The  boy  John  grew  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit.  His 
parents  already  aged  could  hardly,  in  the  order  of  nature, 
have  lived  much  beyond  his  childhood.  What  would 
the  orphan  boy  do  ?  The  angel  of  his  annunciation, 
while  divinely  naming  him  The  Gift  of  Jah,  and  promis- 
ing an  early  and  constant  fullness  of  the  Spirit,  decreed 
for  him  an  abstemious  life.  He  was  to  be  a  Nazirite 
from  his  mother's  womb,  as  were  the  reforming  judges, 
Samson  and  Samuel.  The  law  of  the  Nazirite  forbade 
drinking  wine,  shaving  the  hair,  and  touching  a  corpse. 
In  pursuance  of  the  ascetic  life  to  which  he  was  thus  de- 
voted, he  retired  in  early  youth  from  Hebron,  and  took 
up  his  abode  in  the  Wilderness  of  Judea. 

The  great  and  terrible  wilderness  of  Mts.  Horeb  and 
Seir,  in  which  the  tribes  wandered  and  suffered  for  forty 
years,  was  prolonged  northward  into  Judea  along  the 
west  coast  of  the  Dead  Sea,  even  beyond  Jericho.     This 

66 


THE  INAUGURATION  67 

prolongation  occupies  fully  one-fourth  of  the  district  of 
Judea,  of  which  another  fourth  is  the  Philistine  plain 
along  the  shore  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  the  remainder 
is  the  hill  country  of  Judea  lying  between,  and  crowned 
with  Hebron  at  its  summit.  The  eastern  region  along 
the  Dead  Sea  is  desert  and  desolate,  unhabited  and 
almost  unhabitable  save  by  wild  beasts  and  reptiles.  It 
is  not  wholly  destitute  of  vegetation,  having  here  and 
there  spots  of  pasture  and  clumps  of  stunted  trees.  But 
the  rocky  ground  is  untillable,  and  abounds  in  pits  of 
slime.  The  deadly  influence  of  the  asphalt  sea  spreads 
over  it  like  a  pall.  It  is  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death. 

In  this  dreary  desert  John  spent  at  least  fifteen  years 
before  his  showing  unto  Israel.  His  food  was  locusts  and 
wild  honey,  his  raiment  a  sackcloth  shirt.  A  life  of  ab- 
stinence, of  exposure,  of  hardships  ;  a  seclusion,  a  thought- 
ful silence,  a  solitary  self-communion  ;  a  patient,  con- 
templative preparation  of  fifteen  years  for  less  than  one 
year's  ministry.     In  him  patience  had  her  perfect  work. 

At  last  when  he  was  thirty  and  a  half  years  old,  the 
summons  came,  and  John  emerged  from  his  solitude. 
Taking  his  stand  on  a  rock  overlooking  the  frequented 
highway  between  Jerusalem  and  Jericho,  he  cried  aloud  to 
those  passing  by : 

"  Repent  ye,  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at 
hand."18 

A  crowd  soon  collected,  drawn  at  first  by  curiosity. 
A  strange  figure,  on  his  lofty  pulpit  of  rock,  outlined 
against  the  blue  sky,  clothed  only  in  a  sackcloth  shirt 
girdled  by  a  leathern  strap,  his  legs  and  arms  naked,  his 
head  bare,  his   long  black  hair  and  beard  unkempt,  a 


68  HIS  INVESTITURE 

staff  in  his  hand  which  he  waved  as  he  cried  again  and 
again : 

"  Repent  ye,  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at  hand." 

Men  of  our  time  and  clime  would  say,  a  lunatic  at 
large,  a  Meg  Merriles,  or  perhaps  the  Wandering  Jew. 
But  the  Jews  of  that  day  recognized  the  rebuking  garb 
and  cry  of  a  reforming  prophet,  their  ideal  of  Elijah,  and 
they  said,  Is  it  indeed  he,  the  promised  of  Malachi  ? 

The  nation  was  then  groaning  under  the  oppression  of 
Tiberius  Caesar,  emperor,  and  of  his  creature  Pontius 
Pilate,  governor  of  Judea,  and  of  Herod  Antipas,  tetrarch 
of  Galilee,  and  of  Caiaphas  and  Annas,  irregularly  ap- 
pointed by  the  Roman  power  high  priests  in  the  dese- 
crated Temple  at  Jerusalem.  The  land  swarmed  with 
hungry  Roman  soldiers  whose  meat  was  violence,  and 
with  thirsty  Jewish  publicans  whose  drink  was  extortion. 
The  languishing  people  knew  that  their  sacred  books 
foretold  a  deliverer,  a  Messiah,  an  anointed  King,  who  in 
the  hour  of  their  deepest  need  should  appear,  reestablish 
the  throne  of  David,  and  reign  in  righteousness.  Ex- 
pectation was  now  rife,  for  the  time  was  ripe.  The  sud- 
den startling  proclamation  by  the  wayside  stranger  of  a 
heaven-born  kingdom,  enlivened  the  long  deferred  hope, 
and  they  asked  one  another,  Is  not  this  he,  the  Christ  ? 

John  led  the  swelling  crowd  down  the  steep  road  past 
Jericho  to  the  Jordan  ford.  Standing  there  by  the  edge 
of  the  stream,  he  preached  to  the  multitude  gathered 
under  the  shade  of  the  tamarisks  and  overhanging  wil- 
lows, the  baptism  of  repentance  unto  the  remission  of 
sins  ;  and  many  were  baptized  of  him  in  the  river  Jordan 
confessing  their  sins.  The  preaching  and  baptizing  was 
protracted  day  after  day,  for  many  days.  A  revival  of 
religion    stirred   the   hearts    of  the   people.     It   spread 


.St*-      '%, 


■v&W* 


JOHN  THE  BAPTIST  AT  THE  RIVER  JORDAN 


THE  INAUGURATION  69 

abroad  and  many  came  from  Jerusalem,  and  from  all 
Judea,  as  well  as  from  the  region  round  about  Jordan,  to 
hear  the  new  prophet,  and  consecrate  themselves  anew 
in  baptism. 

The  preaching  of  John  was  very  plain,  personal  and 
practical.  His  constant  theme  was,  Repent  and  do  the 
works  of  repentance.  Nor  did  he  butter  his  words. 
When  he  saw  many  of  the  jealous  Pharisees  and  haughty 
Sadducees,  who  ever  sought  to  swim  with  the  popular 
tide,  coming  to  him  for  baptism,  he  cried  : 

"  Ye  offspring  of  vipers,  who  warned  you  to  flee  from 
the  wrath  to  come  ?  First  bring  forth  fruit  worthy  of 
repentance.  Think  not  to  be  spared  because  ye  have 
Abraham  to  your  father ;  for  God  is  able  of  these  stones 
to  raise  up  children  to  Abraham.  And  every  tree  that 
bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  shall  be  hewn  down,  and 
cast  into  the  fire." 

To  them  he  speaks  in  the  severe  imagery  of  the  wil- 
derness ;  vipers,  stones,  barren  trees  ;  but  to  the  common 
multitude  who  asked,  Teacher,  what  must  we  do  ?  he 
said,  Share  your  goods  with  the  needy.  To  the  tax- 
gathering  publicans  who  asked,  Teacher,  what  must  we 
do  ?  he  said,  Extort  not  more  than  is  appointed.  To  the 
hired  soldiers  who  asked,  Teacher,  what  must  we  do  ?  he 
said,  Do  no  violence,  nor  accuse  any,  but  be  content 
with  your  wages.  Charity,  honest  dealing,  forbearance, 
quiet  contentment ;  these  were  wholesome  teachings. 

Impressed  by  the  dignity  of  the  prophet,  by  his  fear- 
less bearing,  and  by  his  refined  doctrine,  the  people  were 
reasoning  in  their  hearts,  Surely  this  is  the  Christ.  But 
John,  catching  the  whispered  word,  answered  them  all : 

"  I  indeed  baptize  you  in  water  ;  but  there  cometh  he 
that  is  mightier  than  I,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoes  I  am 


70  HIS  INVESTITURE 

not  worthy  to  stoop  down  and  unloose  ;  he  shall  baptize 
you  in  the  Holy  Spirit  and  fire." 

As  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  play  an  important 
part  in  the  subsequent  events,  it  will  be  well  to  give,  on 
this  their  first  appearance,  a  brief  account  of  them. 
John's  denunciation  is  a  fair  premonition  of  their  char- 
acter and  conduct. 

The  Pharisees,  the  Separated,  a  religious  sect,  were 
extreme  formalists.  They  held  that  besides  the  written 
law  there  was  given  to  Moses  an  oral  law  to  complete  and 
explain  the  written  law,  and  that  it  had  been  transmitted 
orally.  In  addition  they  held  traditions  of  decrees  of  the 
prophets  and  sages,  and  of  legal  decisions  by  ecclesias- 
tical authorities.  Upon  the  strictest  conformity  to  all 
these  they  insisted,  formalizing  and  defining  the  minutest 
particulars  of  ritual  observance.  The  Mishna,  or  second 
law,  which  forms  the  first  part  of  the  Talmud,  is  a  digest 
made  in  the  second  century  a.  d.  of  Jewish  traditions  and 
rituals.  It  abounds,  for  example,  in  minute  distinctions 
as  to  what  is  clean  and  unclean,  prohibits  even  touching 
unclean  things,  and  in  case  of  contact,  prescribes  elabor- 
ate purifications.  By  such  weak  and  beggarly  elements, 
they  laded  men  with  burdens  grievous  to  be  borne,  and 
because  of  their  tradition  made  void  the  word  of  God. 
They  taught,  moreover,  the  doctrine  of  necessitated  will, 
of  resurrection  from  the  dead,  of  a  future  state,  and  of 
angelic  spirits  both  good  and  evil.  As  a  class  they  were 
not  wealthy,  but  belonged  to  the  middle  and  lower  social 
orders.  Joseph  us  says  they  lived  frugally,  not  yielding 
to  luxury,  but  following  the  leadership  of  reason,  and 
hence  had  great  weight  with  the  populace.  That  they 
were  proud  and  self-righteous  was  an  inevitable  conse- 
quence of  their  intense  formalism ;  for  it  is  evident  that 


THE  INAUGURATION  71 

men  whose  lives  were  spent  in  the  ceremonial  ritualism 
of  the  Mishna,  would  acquire  a  self-complacent,  spiritual 
pride  incompatible  with  true  devotion. 

The  Sadducees  were  a  religious  sect  in  opposition  to 
the  Pharisees.  Though  holding  to  many  traditions,  they 
denied  that  any  supplementary  oral  law  was  given  to 
Moses,  and  maintained  the  sufficiency  of  the  written  law. 
Also  they  denied  necessitated  will,  the  resurrection  from 
the  dead,  and  the  existence  of  angels  or  spirits.  As  a 
class  they  were  free-thinkers,  less  numerous  and  less  in- 
fluential with  the  populace  than  the  Pharisees,  but 
wealthy,  luxurious,  haughty  and  aristocratic,  and  holding 
the  chief  offices  of  public  trust. 

The  Scribes,  so  often  named  in  connection  with  the 
Pharisees,  were  not  a  religious  sect ;  indeed  many  were 
Pharisees.  They  were  lawyers  or  doctors  or  teachers  of 
the  law ;  they  were  the  learned  class.  They  devoted 
themselves  to  a  careful  study  of  the  scriptural  text,  laying 
down  and  following  rules  for  transcribing  it  with  the  most 
scrupulous  precision.  In  the  words  of  Ezra  the  Scribe, 
the  duty  of  a  Scribe  was  to  seek  the  law  of  the  Lord  and 
to  do  it,  and  to  teach  in  Israel  statutes  and  judgments. 
The  words  of  the  Scribes  as  interpreters  came  to  be  hon- 
ored above  the  law.  Their  passion  for  distinction  was 
insatiable,  and  the  ascending  scale  of  Rab,  Rabbi,  Rabban, 
presented  so  many  steps  on  the  ladder  of  ambition.  For 
the  Scribes  the  best  places  at  feasts  were  reserved,  and 
the  chief  seats  in  the  Synagogues.  The  salutations  in 
the  market-place,  the  reverential  kiss  given  by  pupils  to 
their  teacher,  or  by  Rabbis  to  each  other,  the  greeting  of 
Abba,  Father,  the  long  robes  with  wide  fringes,  the 
broad  phylacteries,  all  these  enter  into  the  picture  of  a 
Pharisaic  Scribe  so  vividly  sketched  by  Matthew. 


72  HIS  INVESTITURE 

A  report  of  John's  preaching  and  baptizing  reached 
Jesus  at  Nazareth.  It  was  near  the  beginning  of  Febru- 
ary, a.  d.  27,  and  Jesus  was  thirty  years  of  age.  His 
hour  was  nigh.  His  herald  had  announced  him.  He 
put  away  his  tools,  kissed  his  mother  good-bye,  should- 
ered a  knapsack,  and  with  a  new  wander-staff  in  hand, 
walked  across  the  country  to  the  camp-meeting. 19 

"  It  was  a  green  spot  in  the  wilderness, 
Touched  by  the  river  Jordan.     Softly  in, 
Through  a  long  aisle  of  willows,  dim  and  cool, 
Stole  the  clear  waters  with  their  muffled  feet, 
And,  hushing  as  they  spread  into  the  light, 
Circled  the  edges  of  the  pebbled  pool 
Slowly,  then  rippled  through  the  woods  away." 

Here  at  high  noon  Jesus  presented  himself  to  John  for 
baptism.  John,  it  may  be,  was  made  aware  that  this  was 
his  kinsman,  of  whom,  though  unseen  since  infancy,  he 
had  heard  from  his  parents  and  others.  He  knew  him 
to  be  a  sinless  man,  but  not  that  he  was  the  one  whom 
he  heralded.  Awed  by  the  presence  of  such  manly 
purity,  John,  with  instinctive  humility,  at  once  said : 

"  I  have  need  to  be  baptized  of  thee,  and  comest  thou 
to  me?" 

But  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him  : 

"  Suffer  me  now,  for  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all 
righteousness." 

This  is  his  second  recorded  utterance.  But  why  indeed 
should  Jesus  be  baptized?  It  has  been  aptly  said,  Not 
that  he  should  be  sanctified  by  the  water  of  baptism,  but 
that  the  water  of  baptism  should  be  sanctified  by  him. 

And  Jesus,  when  he  was  baptized,  went  up  straight- 
way out  of  the  water,  and  in  the  centre  of  a  semicircle  of 
a  thousand  witnesses,  kneeled  upon  the  strand  with  out- 


THE  INAUGURATION  73 

stretched  hands  and  upturned  eyes  in  prayer.  Then  the 
blue  curtain  of  the  upper  sky  was  drawn  aside  by  angel 
hands,  and  a  broad  beam  of  celestial  light,  in  which  the 
sun  turned  pale,  illumed  the  scene.  Then  appeared  the 
Spirit  descending  in  bodily  form  as  a  dove,  circling  in 
the  aerial  light,  narrowing  its  flight,  and  resting  upon 
him.  And  a  voice  came  out  of  the  heavenly  glory, 
saying : 

"Thou  art  my  beloved  Son;  in  thee  I  am  well 
pleased." 

Then  John  knew  that  this,  his  stainless  kinsman,  was 
the  very  Christ  of  his  appointed  message.  For  after- 
wards he  testified  saying : 

"  At  first  I  knew  him  not ;  but  he  that  sent  me  to  bap- 
tize in  water,  he  said  unto  me,  Upon  whomsoever  thou 
shalt  see  the  Spirit  descending,  and  abiding  upon  him, 
the  same  is  he  that  baptizeth  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  I 
have  seen  and  bear  witness  that  this  is  the  son  of  God." 

Here  where  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New  Testa- 
ment conjoin,  where  the  old  dispensation  merges  into  the 
new  dispensation,  is  the  only  recorded  instance  wherein 
the  persons  of  the  divine  Trinity  were  simultaneously 
manifest.  And  fitly  so,  for  on  this  august  occasion,  the 
beginning  of  the  gospel  in  the  descent  of  the  Spirit 
from  the  Father,  the  man  Jesus  of  Nazareth  came  out 
from  the  dim  consciousness  awakened  in  his  boyhood  in 
the  Temple  and  enlightened  gradually  in  the  course  of 
years,  unto  a  full,  completely  clear  and  distinct,  adequate 
and  intuitive  knowledge  of  his  divine  personality  and 
Sonship,  co-equal  with  the  Father  and  the  Spirit  in  the 
holy,  blessed  and  glorious  Trinity. 

No  sooner  had  Jesus  risen  to  his  feet,  than  he  found 


74  HIS  INVESTITURE 

himself  constrained  to  follow  the  dove,  who  slowly  wing- 
ing on  before  led  him  away,  far  away  into  depths  of  the 
Wilderness,  and  left  him  there  alone  to  undergo  another 
baptism,  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil.20 

Here  is  an  insoluble  mystery  :  The  second  person  of 
the  holy  Trinity,  just  honored  and  proclaimed  by  the 
first  person,  immediately  humiliated  by  the  third  person, 
driven  into  solitude,  there  to  be  led  to  and  fro  and,  in  so 
far,  subjected  by  the  devil,  indeed  to  be  tempted  by  him 
to  sin.  How  vast  the  downward  plunge  from  the  high- 
est height  at  once  to  the  lowest  depth.  Who  can  tell  the 
measure  of  this  celestial  diameter  ?  To  be  tempted. 
How  could  the  divine  Son,  though  incarnate,  be  tempted  ? 
There  is  no  answer.  Was  it  in  him  posse  no?i  peccare,  or 
non  posse  peccare  ?  No  answer.  But  we  know,  'Tis  one 
thing  to  be  tempted,  Escalus,  another  thing  to  fall.  God 
never  made  but  two  men,  Adam  and  Jesus.  In  each 
was  realized  his  ideal  of  a  man.  The  first  Adam  was 
tempted  and  fell ;  the  second  Adam  was  tempted  and  fell 
not.  And  so  this  also  we  know,  that  having  been  him- 
self tempted,  he  is  able  to  succor  them  that  are  tempted. 

In  view  of  the  extraordinary  facts,  so  briefly  sketched, 
imagination  takes  fire,  and  irresistibly  depicts  the  several 
scenes  in  minute  detail ;  though  restrained  by  a  reverent 
regard  for  the  scanty  outline  given,  wherein  invisible 
things  are  clearly  seen,  being  perceived  through  the 
things  that  are  made  known,  and  by  reasonable  concep- 
tions, bringing  to  light  the  hidden  things  of  darkness, 
and  making  manifest  the  counsels  of  the  heart. 

In  those  days  Satan  was  abroad.  He  had  been  wan- 
dering among  the  nations,  inspecting  his  terrestrial  realm, 
and  was  satisfied  in  seeing  his  progressive  work  of  ruin 
well  done.     But,  jealous  of  John,  he  was  present  at  the 


THE  INAUGURATION  75 

baptism  of  Jesus.  He  saw  the  dove  descend,  and  heard 
the  approving  voice.  Startled,  nigh  thunder-struck, 
awhile  he  surveys  the  exalted  man  with  wonder ;  then  in 
dire  consternation  with  envy  fraught  and  rage,  spreading 
his  broad  wings  upon  the  subservient  air,  he  swoops 
headlong,  downward  to  the  dark  region  between  the 
world  and  Hades.  There  in  mid  air  he,  the  Prince  of 
the  Power  of  the  Air,  summons  to  high  council  all  his 
mighty  peers.  Within  thick  clouds,  before  his  throne  of 
flame,  the  assembly  meets.  First  Herod  in  disgrace  is 
banished  to  lowest  hell,  a  failure  and  a  fraud.  Then 
Satan,  lamenting  his  fancied  security  for  the  past  thirty 
years,  announces  that  the  seed  of  the  woman,  dreaded 
through  so  many  centuries,  having  escaped  the  slaughter 
done  at  Bethlehem  by  his  blundering  tool,  was  now  a 
man,  recognized  and  consecrated  by  the  heavenly  pow- 
ers.    He  ends  his  speech  with  the  monition  : 


"  Ye  see  our  danger  on  the  utmost  edge 
Of  hazard,  which  admits  no  long  debate, 
But  must  with  something  sudden  be  opposed, 
Ere  in  the  head  of  nations  he  appear, 
Their  king,  their  leader,  and  supreme  on  earth." 


The  councillors  anxiously  consult,  and  in  conclusion : 


;  Unanimous  they  all  commit  the  care 
And  management  of  this  main  enterprise 
To  him,  their  great  dictator,  whose  attempt 
At  first  against  mankind  so  well  had  thrived." 


»    Satan  accepted  the  grave  commission  arrogantly  say- 
ing: 


76  HIS  INVESTITURE 

"  I,  when  no  other  durst,  sole  undertook 
The  dismal  expedition,  to  find  out 
And  ruin  Adam,  and  the  exploit  perform'd 
Successfully.     A  calmer  voyage  now 
Will  waft  me ;  and  the  way  found  prosperous  once, 
Induces  best  to  hope  of  like  success." 

The  assembly  dissolves  and  returns  below,  a  shower  of 
baleful  stars ;  while  towards  the  destined  planet,  Satan 
shoots  upward,  an  obelisk  of  fire. 

Satan  haunted  the  wilderness.  With  the  wisdom  that 
cometh  from  below,  he  would  use,  not  force,  but  well 
couched  fraud,  well-woven  snares.  First  he  would  reduce 
the  son  of  man  to  extremity  by  hunger,  the  great  motive 
power  of  the  world,  whose  excess  drives  men  into  crime. 

Jesus  passed  forty  days  without  food,  as  did  Moses  and 
then  Elijah  in  this  same  wilderness.  Here  was  an  intense 
physical  tension,  followed  by  languishing  weakness. 
And  Jesus  was  alone.  But  no  ;  with  him  were  the  beasts 
of  the  desert,  so  wild  that  they  were  tame.  They  harmed 
him  not,  for  to  the  sinless  it  was  promised,  The  beasts  of 
the  field  shall  be  at  peace  with  thee ;  and  — 

"  Thou  shalt  tread  upon  the  lion  and  the  adder, 
The  young  lion  and  the  dragon  shalt  thou  trample  under  foot." 

But  Satan  hoped  that,  frantic  with  hunger,  this  man 
also  would  become  as  one  of  them,  that  the  physical 
strain  would  rupture  the  spiritual  restraint,  and  rush  into 
brutish  rebellion. 

The  lenten  season  passed  with  no  sign  of  yielding. 
The  wily  tempter  saw  that  something  must  be  added. 
Not  death,  which  though  near  was  forbidden;  so  he 
planned  something  worse ;  he  sought  for  sin.     If  only  he 


THE  INAUGURATION  77 

could  inject  a  doubt,  incite  a  wayward  act.  Man's  ex- 
tremity, it  is  said,  is  heaven's  opportunity.  Yes.  But 
also  it  is  hell's  opportunity. 

Jesus  is  sitting  at  the  foot  of  a  tamarisk  tree,  faint, 
weak,  exhausted,  famishing,  suffering  the  fearful  pangs  of 
deadly  hunger.  Satan  comes  to  him  in  the  guise  of  a 
prophet.  Is  this  John?  No.  Jesus  knows  not  who. 
The  seeming  prophet  speaks  kindly  : 

"  Young  man,  are  you  suffering  ?  " 

"  Yea." 

"  From  hunger  ?  " 

"  Yea." 

"  Let  me  help  you  to  rise,  and  give  you  to  eat." 

But  without  aid  Jesus  rises  to  his  feet,  and  with  sus- 
picion confronts  his  hypocritical  adversary. 

Now  a  spiritual  duel  is  to  be  fought.  Standing  eye  to 
eye  are  the  champions  of  heaven  and  hell;  the  wager 
of  the  single  combat  is  the  sovereignty  of  the  world. 
The  one  paladin  is  at  every  disadvantage,  weakened  by 
fasting  and  dizzy  with  faintness,  alone,  with  no  support, 
abandoned,  taken  unaware  of  the  cause  and  of  his  foe  ; 
the  other  is  alert,  skilled,  able,  keenly  aware  of  his  risk 
although  already  in  full  possession  of  the  prize  at  stake, 
and  is  supported  by  a  legion  of  demons  expectantly 
perched  on  every  rock,  grinning  from  every  bush,  and 
swarming  like  bats  in  the  trees.     The  sword  play  begins  : 

"  You  are  famishing  ?  " 

"  Yea." 

"  Why  so  ?  " 

"  It  is  his  will." 

«  Whose  ?  " 

"  My  Father's." 

"  Bah  !     Have  we  met  before  ?  " 


78  HIS  INVESTITURE 

"  It  may  be." 

"  Are  not  you  the  young  man  I  saw  baptized  six 
weeks  ago,  to  whom  the  heavens  opened,  on  whom  the 
dove  descended,  and  of  whom  the  voice  said,  Thou  art 
my  beloved  son  ?  " 

«  I  am." 

«  Beloved  ?  " 

"  Yea  verily." 

"  And  left  with  the  beasts  to  famish  ?  " 

"  Yea." 

"  Bah  !     Hallucination." 

"  Nay,  nay." 

"  You  believe  yourself  the  Son  of  God  ?  " 

"  I  do ; "  such  was  the  word  of  his  mouth. 

"  And  hungered  ?  " 

"  Yea." 

Satan  stooped,  picked  up  a  stone  about  the  size  and 
shape  of  a  loaf,  and  holding  it  before  him,  said  taunt- 
ingly : 

"  Well  then,  if  thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  command  this 
stone  that  it  become  bread." 

This  was  an  adroit  thrust.  It  proposed  an  appar- 
ently easy  and  complete  test  of  the  sonship,  if  in  the  least 
doubted,  together  with  a  relief  of  the  carnal  pressure,  the 
lust  of  the  flesh,  by  which  Satan  had  often  triumphed. 
But  Jesus  instantly  parried  the  thrust  with  the  sword  of 
the  Spirit. 

"  It  stands  written,  Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone, 
but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of 
God." 

Satan's  master-stroke  was  foiled.  He  shrank  away 
into  the  gathering  night.  Jesus  exhausted,  and  again 
prostrate,  slept. 


THE  INAUGURATION  79 

The  temptation  was  addressed  to  his  divinity  ;  it  was 
answered  in  his  humanity.  He  foiled  it  not  as  very  God, 
but  as  very  man.  It  was  repeated  at  Calvary  in,  If  thou 
be  the  son  of  God,  come  down  from  the  cross.  Now,  he 
does  not  answer  the  doubt ;  then,  he  does  not  answer 
at  all. 

Next  day,  about  the  hour  of  evening  sacrifice,  Satan 
returned.  He  was  disguised  now  as  a  priest,  in  mitre, 
robe,  ephod  and  embroidered  girdle,  and  carried  in  his 
hand  a  roll  of  the  book  of  the  law.  Endowed  with  au- 
thority, he  said  to  Jesus  : 

"  Come." 

At  once  they  were  in  Jerusalem,  in  the  Temple,  on 
the  pinnacle  of  the  Temple.  Its  recent  renovation  had 
added  to  the  Sanctuary,  va6<s,  a  towering  portico,  which 
overlooked  the  whole  Temple,  lepov,  and  thus  was 
properly  the  pinnacle.  Standing  together  on  the  flat 
top  of  this  lofty  height,  and  looking  down  on  the  great 
altar  smoking  with  the  evening  sacrifice,  and  on  the 
serving  priests  and  praying  people,  the  priest-like  tempter 
said  to  Jesus  : 

"  Seest  the  sacrifice  ?  " 

"  Yea." 

"  Knowst  its  meaning  ?  " 

"  Yea,  it  is  I." 

"  Thou  ?     Bah  !     Dost  love  this  people  ?  " 

"  Yea,  verily." 

"  Wouldst  be  their  priest  and  king  ?  " 

"  Yea." 

"  Wilt  be  despised  and  rejected." 

"  Alas  !  " 

"  Unless,  indeed  you " 


80  HIS  INVESTITURE 

«  What  ?  " 

Satan  remembered  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  by  which 
he  had  been  foiled.  He  bethought  him  that  now,  in  his 
priestly  guise,  he  might  venture  to  appropriate  it  him- 
self. But  he  blundered,  or  perhaps  bungled  it  purposely, 
in  the  reply: 

"  Why  this  :  If  indeed  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  cast 
thyself  down  hence ;  for  it  stands  written,  he  shall  give 
his  angels  charge  concerning  thee  ;  and  in  their  hands 
they  shall  bear  thee  up,  lest  haply  thou  dash  thy  foot 
against  a  stone.  Assembled  Israel,  seeing  thee  descend 
with  angelic  guard,  will  at  once  recognize  and  joyously 
accept  its  Messiah." 

But  Jesus,  though  loving  and  longing,  did  not  yield 
to  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  but  detecting  the  fallacy,  the 
presumption  of  the  proffered  test,  warded  off  the  in- 
sidious blow  of  his  adversary  with  his  own  true  blade, 
saying : 

"  It  stands  written,  Thou  shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy 
God." 

Satan,  smitten  with  amazement,  vanished,  and  Jesus 
found  himself  again  in  the  lone  wilderness. 

Night  was  coming  on.  Satan,  having  found  the  inroad 
of  hunger  a  failure,  and  now  baffled  in  his  attempt  to 
excite  a  rebellious  tempest  within  the  soul  of  Jesus,  re- 
solved in  his  rage  to  storm  its  defensive  outworks.  He 
summoned  in  malignant  cruelty  the  powers  of  the  air 
and  darkness  to  his  aid.  Gathering  clouds  doubled  the 
night.  The  wind  in  active  preparation,  swept  through 
the  haunted  wilderness  in  heavy  gusts  ;  and  from  the  leafy 
copse  came  no  longer  whisperings  and  sighs,  but  groans 
and  voices  in  angry  contention,  and  weird  mocking  laugh- 


THE  INAUGURATION  81 

ter,  mingled  with  the  rustling  and  whizzing  of  wings. 
The  air  to  its  remotest  depths  was  peopled,  a  vast  amphi- 
theatre seen  by  the  fitful  lightnings,  with  an  assembling 
multitude  of  faces,  grim  and  darkly  undefined,  innumer- 
able, and  settling  in  frowning  expectation.  At  midnight 
hour  the  storm  burst  in  dire  fury.  Pelting  rain  beat  the 
ground,  hurtling  hail  tore  the  foliage,  whirling  wind 
twisted  trees  from  their  roots  and  wafted  them  as  feathers 
in  mid-air.  A  lightning  flash,  like  a  flaming  sword,  split 
the  darkened  firmament,  which  closed  again  with  crash- 
ing reverberations.  The  ground  heaved  and  rocked  in 
the  giant  grasp  of  an  earthquake.  The  beasts  of  the 
desert,  abandoning  their  lairs,  rushed  madly  to  and  fro 
with  wild  howls  of  terror.  Broad  sheets  of  light  fell  like 
curtains  from  sky  to  earth,  and  vanished  with  stunning 
explosions.  The  crashing  of  the  tornado  through  the 
forest,  vying  with  the  thunder  in  its  hideous  roar,  was 
mingled  with  shrieks  and  yells,  gibes  and  curses,  fierce 
clamors,  and  the  weird  shoutings  of  a  multitude.  The 
frightened  hours  lost  their  measured  course,  and  pro- 
longed the  dreadful  night.  The  sun  delayed  his  coming. 
The  infernal  powers,  loosed  in  high  revel,  incited  each 
other  saying,  Let  us  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  us, 
while  yet  it  is  night ;  for  the  day  cometh,  when  no 
demon  can  work. 

"  Thus  passed  the  night  so  foul  till  Morning  fair 
Came  forth,  with  pilgrim  steps,  in  amice  gray ; 
Who  with  her  radiant  finger  still'd  the  roar 
Of  thunder,  chased  the  clouds,  and  laid  the  winds, 
And  grisly  spectres,  which  the  fiend  had  raised 
To  tempt  the  Son  of  God  with  terrors  dire. 
And  now  the  sun  with  more  effectual  beams 
Had  cheer'd  the  face  of  earth,  and  dried  the  wet 
From  drooping  plant  or  dropping  tree  ;  the  birds, 


82  HIS  INVESTITURE 

Who  all  things  now  behold  more  fresh  and  green, 
After  a  night  of  storm  so  ruinous, 
Clear'd  up  their  choicest  notes  in  bush  and  spray, 
To  gratulate  the  sweet  return  of  morn." 

Satan,  now  in  the  guise  of  a  gentleman,  his  favorite  and 
most  dangerous  mask,  approaches  Jesus  leaning  for  sup- 
port on  a  rock,  almost  lifeless  from  enforced  fast,  vigil, 
and  exposure.  He  feigns  great  surprise,  expresses  gentle 
sympathy,  and  offers  to  relieve  his  pain  and  destitution. 
Come  with  me,  says  he,  and  I  will  do  thee  good.  Jesus 
feeble  as  he  was,  found  himself  constrained  to  go,  and 
was  led  up  onto  a  supernatural  mountain,  exceeding  high. 
Together  they  stand  upon  the  lofty  summit  and  look 
abroad.  Satan  waves  his  wand,  and  the  convex  world 
gradually  turns  to  concave,  slowly  lifting  its  expanding 
horizon  to  a  level  with  their  eyes.  With  a  princely  air 
he  shows  Jesus  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  and  the 
glory  of  them,  in  a  moment  of  time.  In  the  far  be- 
nighted East,  lies  the  eastern  Babylon,  the  seat  of  the 
three  great  Empires,  now  in  ruin,  but  replaced  by  the 
unconquered  Parthian  power  at  Ctesiphon.  Behold  it 
issuing  from  the  city  gates  for  war  against  the  Scythian. 

"  He  looked  and  saw  what  numbers  numberless 
The  city  gates  outpour'd,  light-armed  troops, 
In  coats  of  mail  and  military  pride ; 
In  mail  their  horses  clad,  yet  fleet  and  strong. 
He  saw  them  in  their  form  of  battle  ranged, 
How  quick  they  wheel'd,  and  flying  behind  them  shot 
Sharp  sleet  of  arrowy  showers  against  the  face 
Of  their  pursuers,  and  overcame  by  flight. 
Such  and  so  numerous  was  their  chivalry." 

He    turned,   his    gaze   sweeping    over    Antioch    and 
Athens,  to  the  enlightened  West.     Behold  the  city  of 


THE  INAUGURATION  83 

the  seven  hills,  the  western  Babylon,  whose  radiating 
roads  stretch  to  the  watery  confines  of  earth,  whence 
fleets  extend  her  sway. 

"  The  city,  which  thou  seest,  no  other  deem 
Than  great  and  glorious  Rome,  queen  of  the  earth. 
All  nations  now  to  Rome  obedience  pay, 
To  Rome's  great  emperor,  whose  wide  domain, 
In  ample  territory,  wealth  and  power, 
And  long  renown,  thou  justly  may  prefer 
Before  the  Parthian.     These  two  thrones  except, 
The  rest  are  barbarous,  and  scarce  worth  the  sight. 
These  having  shown  thee,  I  have  shown  thee  all 
The  Kingdoms  of  the  world  and  all  their  glory." 

Jesus  gazed  upon  the  magic  panorama  with  longing 
eyes.  Satan  was  seeking  to  stir  in  him  that  last  infirmity 
of  noble  minds,  ambition.  Believing  that  every  man  has 
his  price,  he  hoped  to  purchase  him  with  the  pride  of 
life.     He  now  calls  attention  to  himself.     Lo,  a  change ! 

"  High  on  a  throne  of  royal  state,  which  far 
Outshone  the  wealth  of  Ormus  and  of  Ind, 
Satan  exalted  sat.     His  haughty  head 
The  likeness  of  a  kingly  crown  had  on, 
His  hand  a  sceptre  swayed." 

He  sits  some  moments  in  quiet  majesty,  hoping  to 
impress  the  dazed  man  at  his  footstool ;  then  descends 
from  the  aerial  throne,  takes  off  his  crown,  and  offering 
them  to  Jesus,  says  : 

"  To  thee  will  I  give  the  authority  over  all  those  king- 
doms, and  the  glory  of  them  ;  for  it  hath  been  delivered 
unto  me,  and  to  whomsoever  I  will  I  give  it.  If  thou 
therefore  wilt  bend  thy  knee  to  me,  all  shall  be  thine." 

But  Jesus,  then  for  the  first  time  recognizing  the  Ad- 
versary, instantly  commanded : 


84  HIS  INVESTITURE 

"  Begone,  Satan.  It  stands  written,  Thou  shalt  worship 
the  Lord  thy  God,  and  him  only  shalt  thou  serve." 

The  sword  of  the  Spirit  was  still  in  his  hand,  and  with 
this  final,  fatal  stroke  he  conquered.  The  whole  phan- 
tasmagoria vanished,  sudden  darkness  engulfed  the 
world,  and  Satan  fell  like  lightning  from  heaven  afar  to 
his  own  place. 

Instantly  eager  angels,  no  longer  restrained,  found 
Jesus  lying  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness  unconscious. 
With  loving  hands  and  softly  waving  wings,  they  bear 
him  aloft  and  away  to  a  pleasant  grove  surrounding  a 
luxuriant  garden,  where  was  a  spacious  royal  tent  of  blue 
fabric  borrowed  from  the  sky,  upheld  by  golden  shafts 
of  light.  Laid  gently  on  a  richly  cushioned  couch,  they 
anxiously  bend  over  him,  bedew  his  temples  with  their 
tears,  and  fan  him  with  their  perfumed  wings.  Revived, 
they  offer  him  on  bended  knee,  from  platters  of  trans- 
lucent gold,  bread  and  wine.  When  strength  returns 
and  the  pulse  of  life  beats  free,  a  luxurious  banquet  is 
spread  of  nectar  and  ambrosia,  garnished  with  rare  fruits 
of  the  celestial  Paradise.  Now  while  he  feasts  a  choir  of 
seraphim,  with  harps  attuning,  chaunt  a  triumphal  anthem 
of  praise. 

"  True  image  of  the  Father ;  whether  throned 
In  the  bosom  of  bliss,  and  light  of  light 
Conceiving ;  or,  remote  from  heaven,  enshrined 
In  fleshly  tabernacle ;  thou  hast  avenged 
Supplanted  Adam,  and,  by  vanquishing 
Temptation,  hast  regained  lost  Paradise. 
Hail,  Son  of  the  Most  High,  heir  of  both  worlds, 
Queller  of  Satan  !     On  thy  glorious  work 
Now  enter,  and  begin  to  save  mankind." 

Ended  the  feast  and  pean,  then  dusky  Evening  and 


THE  INAUGURATION  85 

balmy  Slumber  came,  hand  in  hand,  to  offer  rest.  The 
curtains  of  the  tent  are  closed,  four  ardent  cherubim  with 
flaming  swords  stand  sentinel,  and  Jesus  sleeps. 

Paradise  lost  in  the  garden ;  Paradise  regained  in  the 
wilderness. 

With  a  sharp  reminiscence  of  the  humiliation  and 
struggle  which  he  was  led  into  and  then  delivered  from 
by  the  Spirit,  Jesus  afterwards  taught  his  followers  to  pray, 
Lead  us  not  into  temptation ;  but,  if  it  must  be,  deliver 
us  from  the  Tempter. 

He  himself  throughout  life  was  beset  by  many  further 
trials.  The  Adversary  had  been  cast  down,  but  not 
destroyed.  He  departed  only  for  a  season.  Soon  he  re- 
newed the  affliction  and  the  smiting,  which  culminated  at 
Gethsemane  and  Calvary.  Then  he  entered  on  a  fierce 
and  truceless  war,  lasting  now  through  two  millenniums, 
and  still  prolonged  by  the  sullen  and  slowly  retreating 
foe ;  while  the  ascended  Christ  waits  at  the  right  hand  of 
the  God  of  Hosts  until  he  makes  his  enemy  his  footstool. 


VII 

THE  ATTESTATION 

AT  some  time  during  the  forty  days,  John  the 
baptizer  moved  up  the  river  Jordan  to  Bethabara, 
or  house  of  passage.  This  was  an  upper  ford 
midway  between  the  lakes,  where,  in  the  days  of  the 
judges,  Gideon  intercepted  the  fleeing  Midianites.  Near 
by  was  a  village  called  Bethany  of  Peraea  or  beyond 
Jordan,  to  distinguish  it  from  the  Bethany  near  Jeru- 
salem. Here  John  pursued  his  vocation.  Multitudes 
attended,  many  hearers  were  baptized,  and  all  held  him 
for  a  prophet.  Shortly  after  the  forty  days,  Jesus  return- 
ing from  the  wilderness  came  to  Bethabara,  and  mingled 
in  the  crowd  of  the  people. 

The  religious  revival  awakened  by  John  had  made  such 
a  stir  throughout  the  country,  and  even  in  Jerusalem, 
that  it  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Sanhedrin,  auvldpiov, 
an  assembly  sitting  together  in  council.  This  was  the 
high  ecclesiastical  court  of  the  Jews,  consisting  of  the 
high  priests  and  selected  elders  and  scribes  and  lawyers, 
to  the  number  of  seventy  members,  and  having  authori- 
tative oversight  especially  of  all  matters  relating  to  the 
religion  of  the  Jewish  state.  It  was  legitimate,  there- 
fore, that  this  court  should  inquire  into  the  preaching 
and  baptism  of  John.  Accordingly,  it  commissioned  a 
deputation  of  priests  and  Levites,  among  whom  were  cer- 
tain Pharisees,  all  probably  members  of  the  council,  to 
visit  Eethabara  seeking  information.21 

86 


THE  ATTESTATION  87 

Now  the  hour  is  come  for  the  temptation  of  John.  As 
the  haughty  Sanhedrists  in  their  robes  of  state  and  with 
broad  phylacteries  bound  upon  their  foreheads,  approach 
with  measured  step  and  slow  the  baptismal  scene,  the 
crowd  respectfully  gives  way  and  awaits  in  silent  awe  the 
official  investigation.  The  prophet,  yea  more  than  a 
prophet,  the  immediate  herald,  meets  the  commissioners 
on  the  river  bank  beneath  the  wide  spreading  foliage. 
They  ask  him : 

"  Who  art  thou  ?  " 

John  knew  the  surmise  which  was  whispered  abroad 
that  he  was  the  Christ.  So,  replying  to  the  thought  of 
the  Sanhedrists,  he  confessed,  saying : 

"  I  am  not  the  Christ." 

"  What  then  ?     Art  thou  Elijah  ?  " 

"  I  am  not." 

"  Art  thou  the  prophet  ?  " 

"  No." 

The  increasing  brevity  of  John's  answers  savors  of 
growing  impatience.  Perhaps  they  saw  this,  and  less 
curtly  than  before  ask  him  again  : 

"  Who  art  thou  ?  that  we  may  give  an  answer  to  them 
that  sent  us.     What  say  est  thou  of  thyself?  " 

"  I  ?  I  am  nobody,  merely  a  voice,  crying  in  the 
wilderness,  Make  straight  the  way  of  the  Lord." 

Thereupon  the  Pharisees  of  the  deputation  asked : 

"  Why  then  baptizest  thou  ?  " 

Had  John  in  reply  to  these  questions  professed  to  be 
somebody,  one  authorized  to  baptize,  the  next  question 
would  have  been,  What  sign  showest  thou  ?  This  was 
Jewish  custom.  Elijah  had  attested  his  prophetic  mis- 
sion by  signs  from  heaven.  Similar  evidence  would 
have  been  required  of  John.     But  unlike  his  prototype, 


88  HIS  INVESTITURE 

John  throughout  his  career  did  no  miracle.  Such 
work  would  have  confused  him  in  the  minds  of  men 
with  the  one  he  heralded.  But  on  this  occasion,  to  re- 
fuse a  sign  would  discredit  himself.  Hence  he  made  no 
direct  reply  to  the  question,  Why  then  baptizest  thou  ? 
But  his  eye  falling  on  Jesus  standing  in  the  midst, 
he  said : 

"  I  baptize  in  water.  But  in  the  midst  of  you  standeth 
one  whom  ye  know  not,  even  he  that  cometh  after 
me,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoe  I  am  not  worthy  to 
unloose.     He  shall  baptize  you  in  fire." 

Perhaps  each  of  these  Sanhedrists  thought  that  John 
appropriately  referred  to  him,  and  was  flattered.  Any- 
how they  had  to  be  satisfied  with  the  humble  self- 
renunciation  of  the  truly  great  man,  for  they  got  no 
more,  and  so  went  their  way. 

John  did  not  point  out  Jesus  to  the  constituted  au- 
thorities ;  but  the  next  day,  seeing  Jesus  coming  to  him, 
he  cried  aloud  to  the  common  people  around  about : 

"  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  which  beareth  the  sin 
of  the  world.     This  is  the  Son  of  God." 22 

The  startling  attestation  did  not,  apparently,  take 
effect.  It  was  more  than  could  be  at  once  received. 
But  next  morning  about  ten  o'clock,  as  John  and  two  of 
his  young  disciples  were  conversing,  he  saw  Jesus  pass- 
ing by,  and  said  to  them  : 

"  Behold,  the  Lamb  of  God  !  " 

Then  the  two  disciples  followed  Jesus,  who  turned 
and  said  : 

"  Whom  seek  ye  ?  " 

They  answered  indirectly,  asking  timidly : 

"  Teacher,  where  abidest  thou  ?  " 


THE  ATTESTATION  89 

"  Come,"  he  answered  kindly,  "  and  ye  shall  see." 

So  the  young  men  went  with  him  to  his  lodging  in  the 
village,  and  abode  with  him  that  day.  It  was  the 
Sabbath.  After  some  converse,  one  of  the  two,  Andrew 
by  name,  went  out  first  and  found  his  brother  Simon, 
and  told  him : 

"  We  have  found  the  Messiah." 

This  surname,  Messiah,  is  Hebrew  for  Christ  in 
Greek,  for  Anointed  in  English. 

Then  Andrew  brought  Simon  his  brother  to  Jesus ; 
who,  looking  intently  upon  him,  said : 

"  Thou  art  Simon  the  son  of  Joanes ;  thou  shalt  be 
called  Cephas." 

This  surname,  Cephas,  is  Aramaic  for  Peter  in  Greek, 
for  Rock  in  English. 

The  other  one  of  the  two  young  men  who  had 
followed  Jesus  was  doubtless  John,  a  son  of  Zebedee  and 
Salome,  the  sister  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  hence  was 
cousin  to  Jesus.  He  also  went  forth,  and  found  his 
brother  James,  and  brought  him  to  Jesus.  All  four  of 
these  young  men  lived  at  Capernaum,  or  its  suburb 
Bethsaida  in  Galilee,  and  were  trading  fishermen.  The 
little  room  where  they  were  assembled  on  that  Sabbath 
day,  listening  to  Jesus,  was  the  cradle  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

The  next  day,  Sunday,  Jesus  proposed  to  return 
to  Galilee  with  these  four,  now  his  companions.  Upon 
starting  they  met  with  Philip,  who,  being  also  of  Beth- 
saida, greeted  his  fellow-townsmen.  To  him  Jesus  in 
passing  on,  said : 

"  Follow  me." 

A  word  from  the  others  to  the  astonished  Philip  was 
sufficient.     Immediately  he  assented,  then  hastily  found 


90  HIS  INVESTITURE 

his  friend  Nathaniel  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  to  whom  he  an- 
nounced : 

"  We  have  found  him  of  whom  Moses  and  the 
prophets  did  write,  Jesus  of  Nazareth." 

Nathaniel,  disposed  to  be  skeptical  in  so  weighty 
a  matter,  said : 

"  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?  " 

Here  is  a  glimpse  of  the  bad  repute  of  Nazareth, 
heightened  it  may  be  by  the  usual  jealousy  of  neighbor- 
ing villagers.     Philip  answered  simply : 

"  Come  and  see." 

Jesus  saw  Nathaniel  coming  to  him,  and  graciously 
said: 

"  Behold  an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile." 

A  personal  compliment,  rare  from  those  lips.  But 
Nathaniel,  not  pleased  perhaps  with  this  prompt  com- 
mendation by  a  questionable  stranger,  asked  curtly : 

"  Whence  knowest  thou  me  ?  " 

Looking  him  expressively  in  the  eyes,  Jesus  said : 

"  Before  Philip  called  thee,  when  thou  wast  under  the 
fig  tree,  I  saw  thee." 

Probably  Nathaniel,  when  under  the  fig  tree,  was 
engaged  in  private  devotion,  and  believed  himself 
screened  from  all  but  divine  eyes.  That  Jesus  divined 
his  secret  service,  convinced  him.  So  at  once  making 
the  first  full  confession,  he  responded  heartily : 

"  Rabbi,  thou  art  the  Son  of  God  ;  thou  art  the  King 
of  Israel." 

Pleased  with  this  ready  attestation,  Jesus  replied : 

"  Because  I  said  unto  thee,  I  saw  thee  under  the  fig 
tree,  believest  thou  ?  Thou  shalt  see  greater  things  than 
these." 

Then   he    added,  with   an  allusion  to  the  ladder  of 


THE  ATTESTATION  91 

Jacob's  vision,  introducing  it  with  that  solemn  and 
emphatic  formula,  now  first  heard: 

"  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Ye  shall  see  the 
heaven  opened,  and  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and  de- 
scending upon  the  Son  of  man." 

How  readily  these  ingenuous  youths  believed  and  en- 
gaged !  Their  noble  hearts  fresh  and  free  were  already 
beating  in  unison  with  one  loving  and  true.  A  word 
welds  them.  The  sky-born  rain-drop  and  the  earth-born 
dew-drop,  touch  and  are  one.  The  magnet  stirs  many 
metals,  but  steel  leaps  into  contact,  and  then  is  ever 
itself  magnetic. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  the  personal  appearance  of 
Jesus  was  a  part  of  his  attractive  power.  This  gives 
occasion  for  some  words  about  it.  Happily  there  is  no 
authentic  portrait  of  him  on  canvas  or  in  marble  extant ; 
happily,  for  were  there  one,  it  would  be  idolized.  But 
mankind  cannot  avoid  forming  an  ideal  picture  of  him, 
influenced  by  inferences  from  Scriptural  hints,  and  by  its 
own  predilections. 

The  early  Church,  under  persecution,  was  averse  to  a 
pictorial  representation  ;  and  viewing  with  repugnance 
the  beautiful  statues  of  the  Greek  and  Roman  gods,  it 
found  sympathetic  comfort  in  dwelling  on  the  figurative 
statements  of  Isaiah  that,  "  His  visage  was  marred  more 
than  any  man,  and  his  form  more  than  the  sons  of  men  ;  " 
that,  "  He  hath  no  form  nor  comeliness,  and  when  we 
shall  see  him,  there  is  no  beauty  that  we  should  desire 
him  ;  "  and  that,  "  We  did  esteem  him  stricken,  smitten  of 
God  and  afflicted."  Accordingly  Justin  Martyr  describes 
him  as  "  without  beauty,  glory  or  honor."  Origen  says  : 
"  His  body  was  small,  ill-shapen  and  ignoble."     Clemens 


92  HIS  INVESTITURE 

of  Alexandria  says :  "  His  beauty  was  in  his  soul  and 
in  his  actions,  but  in  appearance  he  was  base."  And 
Tertullian  says :  "  His  body  had  no  human  handsome- 
ness, much  less  any  celestial  splendor." 

This  conception  lingered  long  and  has  never  been 
wholly  effaced.  But  after  Constantine,  in  the  Church 
politically  victorious,  the  opposite  ideal  prevailed.  The 
beauty  of  David  and  of  Solomon  was  attributed  to  him 
by  Augustine,  citing :  "  Fair,  fair  art  thou  above  the 
sons  of  men,  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand,  and  alto- 
gether lovely."  And  Jerome  says  :  "  Certainly  a  flame 
of  fire  and  starry  brightness  flashed  from  his  eyes,  and 
the  majesty  of  the  Godhead  shone  in  his  face."  John 
of  Damascus,  in  the  eighth  century,  says  that  he  re- 
sembled his  mother,  that  he  was  beautiful  and  strikingly 
tall,  with  fair  and  slightly  curling  locks,  on  which  no 
hand  but  his  mother's  had  ever  passed,  with  dark  eye- 
brows, black  beard,  an  oval  countenance,  a  pale  and  olive 
complexion,  bright  eyes,  an  attitude  slightly  stooping, 
and  a  look  expressive  of  patience,  nobility  and  wisdom. 
But  the  famous  Latin  letter  of  Publius  Lentulus,  sup- 
posed to  be  a  procurator  of  Judea  and  contemporary 
with  Pilate,  though  evidently  apocryphal  and  probably 
not  older  than  the  twelfth  century,  is  yet  so  interesting 
for  the  history  of  Christian  art,  and  so  clearly  derived 
from  long  current  traditions,  that  it  may  be  quoted  at 
length.  It  is  addressed  :  "  The  President  of  the  people 
of  Jerusalem,  to  the  Roman  Senate,  Greeting  "  ;  and  says  : 

"  At  this  time  has  appeared  a  man  who  lives  till  now, 
a  man  endowed  with  great  powers.  Men  call  him  a  great 
prophet,  and  his  disciples  term  him  the  Son  of  God. 
His  name  is  Jesus  Christ.  He  restores  the  dead  to  life, 
and  cures  the  sick  of  all  manner  of  diseases.     This  man 


THE  ATTESTATION  93 

is  of  noble  and  well  proportioned  stature,  with  a  face 
full  of  kindness,  yet  firm,  so  that  the  beholders  both  love 
him  and  fear  him.  His  hair  is  the  color  of  wine,  and 
golden  at  the  root,  straight  and  without  lustre,  but  from 
the  level  of  the  ears  curling  and  glossy,  and  divided 
down  the  centre  after  the  fashion  of  the  Nazarenes.  His 
forehead  is  even  and  smooth,  his  face  without  blemish, 
and  enhanced  by  a  tempered  bloom.  His  countenance 
is  ingenuous  and  kind.  Nose  and  mouth  in  no  way 
faulty.  His  beard  is  full,  of  the  same  color  as  his  hair, 
and  forked.  His  eyes  are  blue,  and  extremely  brilliant. 
In  reproof  and  rebuke  he  is  formidable ;  in  exhortation 
and  teaching,  gentle  and  amiable  of  tongue.  None  have 
seen  him  to  laugh ;  but  many,  on  the  contrary,  to  weep. 
His  person  is  tall,  his  hands  beautiful  and  straight.  In 
speaking  he  is  deliberate  and  grave,  and  little  given  to 
loquacity.     In  beauty  surpassing  most  men." 

The  painters  and  sculptors  of  Christendom  in  medieval 
and  modern  times  have  vied  with  one  another  to  depict 
or  model  the  man  on  the  general  type  here  described. 
This  artistic  reiteration,  though  varied,  of  perfect  manly 
beauty  has  fixed  the  ideal,  so  that  not  only  in  art  but  in 
the  minds  of  men  the  representations  of  the  Nazarene 
resemble  one  another.  Not  any  one  is  universally  ac- 
cepted, but  perhaps  among  the  Salvator  pictures  the 
Christ  of  the  Cenacolo,  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  is  most 
generally  approved,  and  among  the  Ecce  Homo  pictures, 
that  by  Guido.  A  sober  judgment,  however,  while  dis- 
approving the  ancient  caricature  and  pleasingly  impressed 
with  the  modern  type  of  perfected  beauty,  would  per- 
haps refrain  from  an  enthusiastic  extreme,  and  favor  a 
representation  of  medium  comeliness  as  more  probably 
in  accord  with  the  historical  reality.     Such  view  avoids 


94  HIS  INVESTITURE 

the  offense  of  deformity  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the 
other  the  largely  sensuous  attraction  of  physical  perfec- 
tion in  form  and  feature,  a  needless  and  unworthy  addi- 
tion to  spiritual  personality. 

Jesus  with  his  six  companions  left  Bethabara  on  Sun- 
day to  return  to  Nazareth.  He  wanted  to  see  his 
mother,  and  allay  the  anxiety  she  would  naturally  feel 
because  of  his  protracted  and  unexplained  absence  of 
more  than  six  weeks,  much  longer  than  was  expected 
when  he  left  home.  The  distance  to  be  walked  was 
nearly  thirty  miles.  They  reached  Nazareth  about  Mon- 
day afternoon,  and  found  that  the  mother  of  Jesus  had 
gone  to  Cana,  Nathaniel's  village,  some  five  miles  north 
of  Nazareth,  to  attend  a  wedding.  Also  they  found 
awaiting  them  invitations  to  the  wedding  for  Jesus  and 
his  friends.  So  next  day,  Tuesday,  they  went  to  Cana  to 
be  present  at  the  marriage  on  Wednesday,  the  third  day 
after  the  Sunday  on  which  they  started,  and  the  day  of 
the  week  on  which  Jewish  marriages  customarily  took 
place.  The  facts  that  Jesus  and  his  two  cousins  and  their 
companions  were  asked  to  the  marriage,  that  Mary  went 
some  days  beforehand  as  if  to  assist  in  the  preparations, 
and  that  on  the  occasion  she  seemed  much  at  home,  was 
anxious  about  the  provision,  and  gave  orders  to  the 
servants,  make  it  likely  that  it  was  a  family  affair ;  and, 
since  the  feast  was  usually  held  in  the  home  of  the 
bridegroom,  a  marriage  of  some  male  relative.23 

The  feast  is  in  progress.  The  large  room  where  it  is 
held  is  decorated  with  branches  of  fresh  green  leaves, 
interspersed  with  garlands  of  flowers ;  for  it  is  the  latter 
part  of  March,  the  first  month  of  Spring.  The  festive 
board    extends  the  length   of  the  room,  with    couches 


THE  ATTESTATION  95 

alongside  on  which  the  guests  recline,  leaning  on  the  left 
elbow  and  managing  the  viands  with  the  right  hand.  At 
the  upper  end  is  the  ruler  of  the  feast,  whose  office  is  to 
approve  the  dishes  offered,  and  to  regulate  their  changes. 
On  his  right  is  the  bridegroom.  The  bride  and  her 
maids  have  withdrawn,  it  being  unusual  among  the  Jews 
for  women  to  recline  at  feasts.  But  the  mother  of  Jesus 
is  passing  to  and  fro  superintending  the  service  at  this 
first  feast,  as  did  Martha  of  Bethany  at  the  last  feast. 
Jesus  and  his  young  disciples  are  accommodated  with 
couches. 

By  his  presence  Jesus  sanctioned,  not  only  the  mar- 
riage relation,  but  joyful  festivity.  We  may  be  sure  that 
as  a  genial  gentleman  he  wore  no  sad  countenance  de- 
pressing the  gladness  around,  but  that  with  ready  smile 
he  sympathized  with  the  general  hilarity,  and  shared  in 
the  good  cheer.  In  the  eyes  of  all,  save  his  mother  and 
disciples,  he  was  simply  one  of  the  guests  from  Nazareth. 

Before  the  close  of  the  feast  the  wine  was  exhausted, 
due  perhaps  to  the  accession  of  more  guests  than  were 
expected.  This  scant  provision  indicates  that  the  bride- 
groom furnishing  the  feast  was  not  wealthy,  indeed  that 
the  occasion,  entertaining  a  carpenter  and  several  fisher- 
men, was  an  humble  one.  Mary  was  in  consternation  at 
the  failure  of  the  wine.  But  she  had  pondered  many 
things  in  her  heart  concerning  her  son,  and  now  a  thought 
struck  her.     Stepping  beside  his  couch  she  whispered : 

"  They  have  no  wine." 

This  hint  of  the  cause  in  his  increase  of  the  company, 
with  a  hint  of  a  remedy  due,  is  thoroughly  feminine  in 
its  delicate  indirection.     Jesus  replied  : 

"  Woman,  what  have  I  to  do  with  thee  ?  mine  hour  is 
not  yet  come." 


96  HIS  INVESTITURE 

This  sounds  a  little  rough  in  our  English  ears,  but  the 
address,  Woman,  with  the  Greeks  and  Jews  was  perfectly- 
respectful,  corresponding  to  our  Madam  or  Lady.  Thus 
Augustus,  on  arriving  in  Egypt  after  the  victory  at 
Actium,  said  kindly  to  the  despairing  queen  Cleopatra, 
Be  of  good  cheer,  O  Woman.  Yet  there  is  a  shade  of 
mild  reproof,  at  least  a  remonstrance,  in  the  reply  of 
Jesus,  a  disclaimer  of  responsibility  in  the  case,  and  a  re- 
pudiation of  parental  authority.  The  Son  was  now  Lord 
of  his  mother  also.  The  reply  may  be  fairly  para- 
phrased : 

"  Why  should  you  press  me,  Lady  ?  the  time  for  my 
work  is  not  yet." 

Mary  retired  from  his  side,  and  still  expectant  and  con- 
fident, ordered  the  servants  privately  : 

"  Whatsoever  he  saith  unto  you,  do  it." 

In  the  outer  gallery  leading  to  the  banquet  room  were 
set  six  earthenware  water-jars,  whose  average  capacity 
was  seventeen  gallons,  making  for  the  six  jars  one 
hundred  and  two  gallons.  They  held  the  supply  of  water 
used  in  the  profuse  ceremonial  ablutions  practiced  at 
feasts.  Some  of  this  water  had  already  been  drawn  off. 
Jesus  said  quietly  apart  to  the  servants  : 

"  Fill  the  water-jars  with  water." 

So  they  went  out,  and  refilled  them  to  the  brim.  Then 
upon  their  report  of  this  to  him,  he  said : 

"  Draw  out  now,  and  bear  unto  the  ruler  of  the 
feast." 

They  did  so.  And  when  the  ruler  had  tasted  the 
water  that  had  become  wine,  and  knew  not  whence  it 
was,  he  turned  to  the  bridegroom,  and  said  in  jocose 
compliment : 

"  Every  man  setteth  on  first  the  good  wine ;  and  when 


THE  ATTESTATION  97 

men  have  drunk  freely,  then  that  which  is  worse ;  but 
thou  hast  kept  the  good  wine  until  now." 

This  beginning  of  signs  attesting  by  superhuman 
power  his  divine  commission,  did  Jesus  in  Cana  of  Gali- 
lee. His  first  miracle  was  a  miracle  of  luxury,  and  of 
abundance  far  beyond  the  need  of  the  occasion,  a  wed- 
ding present  of  a  hundred  gallons  of  the  best  wine  to  his 
humble  relatives.  He  who  a  week  ago  had  refused  to 
turn  a  stone  into  bread  for  his  own  relief  when  starving, 
now  turns  a  hundred  gallons  of  water  into  wine  to  pro- 
mote the  festivity  of  his  friends,  and  to  store  richly  the 
cellar  of  his  host.  It  was  the  lavish  gift  of  a  prince,  royal, 
divine  plenty. 

This  manifestation  of  his  glory,  in  advance  of  his  pub- 
lic revelation  soon  to  be  made,  was  especially  for  his 
relatives  and  personal  friends,  and  amid  its  humble  sur- 
roundings, was  very  unostentatious.  The  sign  was 
known  first  to  the  servants  only.  When  it  became 
known  to  the  company,  it  must  have  produced  a  deep 
impression ;  yet,  while  his  mother  of  course  and  his  dis- 
ciples believed,  it  seems  that  others  doubted,  among 
whom  probably  were  his  so-called  brothers  from  Naza- 
reth. They  did  not  doubt  the  matter,  but  the  man  ;  a 
judicial  blindness  more  marvellous  than  the  miracle. 
"  Lynipha  pudica  Deum  vidit  et  erubnit." 
"  The  conscious  water  saw  its  God  and  blushed." 
In  that  life-giving  presence  even  lifeless  water  woke  to 
consciousness,  and  our  best  emblem  of  purity  lost 
countenance  before  him.  Yet  there  were  men  in  that 
presence  who  seeing  did  not  see,  and  did  in  nowise  per- 
ceive ;  whose  eyes  were  holden  lest  haply  they  should 
understand  with  their  heart,  and  should  turn,  and  be 
made  anew. 


98  HIS  INVESTITURE 

Let  it  be  noted  that  the  change  wrought  was  not  alto- 
gether similar,  as  Augustine  suggests,  to  that  which  takes 
place  in  the  natural  process  of  growth,  wherein  the  rain 
of  the  sky  is  transformed  into  the  juice  of  the  grape,  ex- 
cept that,  as  Olshausen  adds,  the  process  is  hastened.  In 
natural  growth  all  the  materials  are  present,  and  are  rear- 
ranged, transformed.  But  in  this  case  it  was  not  merely 
a  transformation  of  materials  at  hand,  but  a  transubstan- 
tiation.  In  every  thirty  gallons  of  wine  there  is  one 
pound  of  carbon.  Whence  came  the  three  and  a  third 
pounds  of  carbon  ?  Here  was  a  new  vitalizing  and  per- 
fecting element,  imported  by  power  divine. 

Moses,  the  lawgiver  and  leader,  a  prototype  of  Christ, 
wrought  great  miracles.  He,  the  organizer  of  the  Old 
Testament  dispensation,  as  his  first  sign,  turned  water 
into  blood.  It  was  symbolic  of  condemnation,  and  of 
judgment  to  come.  His  antitype,  the  founder  of  the  New 
Testament  dispensation,  as  his  first  sign,  turned  water 
into  wine.  It  was  symbolic  of  regeneration  ;  of  the  reno- 
vated life  of  mankind  ;  of  the  prophetic  call,  Ho,  every 
one  that  thirsteth,  come  ;  and  of  the  new  wine  which  he 
shall  drink  with  us  at  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb. 

It  will  be  appropriate  to  make  here  some  remarks 
about  miraculous  signs  in  general.  It  has  been  often  said 
that  a  miracle  is  impossible.  Indeed  many  skeptics,  es- 
pecially those  of  the  school  of  the  Positivists,  assume  this 
as  a  scientifically  axiomatic  postulate.  Now  an  atheist 
may  take  this  position  consistently ;  but  sincere  atheists 
are  so  rare  that  we  may  here  pass  them  by.  An  agnostic 
may  not  make  the  assertion  consistently  ;  he  must  say,  I 
do  not  and  cannot  know.  Let  us  pass  him  by.  A  deist, 
one  who  rejects  the  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures  yet  be- 


THE  ATTESTATION  99 

lieves  in  the  existence  of  a  divine  Creator  and  Ruler,  can- 
not consistently  say  that  a  miracle  is  impossible,  for  crea- 
tion is  the  greatest  of  all  miracles.  Also  in  admitting  the 
reality  of  divine  overruling  power,  he  fully  admits  the 
possibility  of  any  and  all  miracles. 

The  deist  indeed  may  say,  I  cannot  conceive  how 
water  became  wine,  it  is  utterly  incomprehensible,  not  to 
me  only  but  to  the  human  mind.  Granted,  but  the 
futile  effort  to  conceive  how  this  came  about,  is  an  effort 
to  conceive  either  an  intermediate  process  where  there 
was  none,  or  the  manner  in  which  the  cause  operated. 
But  the  manner  in  which  any  cause  operates  to  produce 
its  immediate  effect  is  inconceivable.  One  cannot  con- 
ceive how  the  earth  attracts  a  falling  stone,  we  know  only 
that  it  does  ;  or  how  a  man  bends  his  arm,  we  know  only 
that  he  bends  it.  In  the  conception  of  water  becoming 
wine,  we  have  in  the  jars  water,  then  wine  ;  also  we  have 
sufficient  antecedents  in  the  water  and  divine  will,  and 
the  effected  consequent  in  the  wine.  For  the  conception 
no  more  is  needed,  no  more  is  possible.  We  have  no 
other  conception  of  bending  an  arm.  The  antecedents 
are  a  straight  arm  and  a  man's  will,  the  consequent  is  a 
bent  arm.  That  is  all  we  know  or  can  know  about  it. 
Neither  physiology  nor  psychology,  nor  physiological 
psychology  pretends  to  offer  any  explanation  of  how  a 
man's  will  affects  his  brain  so  as  to  bring  about  the  con- 
traction of  a  muscle.  Let  us  await  the  solution  of  this 
problem  before  we  ask  how  water  became  wine. 

Some  deists  object  with  Hume,  that  a  miracle  is  con- 
trary to  all  human  experience.  But  this  begs  the  ques- 
tion. It  is  equivalent  to  saying  that  since  no  miracle  has 
ever  been  experienced,  therefore  no  miracle  has  ever  been 
experienced.     If  one  miracle  has  been  experienced,  then 


ioo  HIS  INVESTITURE 

a  miracle  is  not  contrary  to  all  experience.  Moreover,  it 
is  not  strictly  proper  to  say  that  a  miracle  is  contrary 
even  to  general  experience,  but  only  not  in  accord  with 
general  experience.  And  this  is  easily  true  of  things  not 
miraculous.  Some  years  ago  it  was  contrary,  or  more 
properly  not  according  to  experience  that  two  persons 
miles  apart  should  engage  in  quiet  oral  conversation,  but 
it  has  now  become  a  familiar  experience.  Hence  what 
is  contrary  or  not  according  to  general  or  even  universal 
experience  may  nevertheless  be  not  only  possible  and  con- 
ceivable, but  also  credible.  It  is  simply  a  question  of  fact. 
The  chief  difficulty  in  accepting  miracles  as  facts  arises 
from  the  modern  scientific  conception  of  natural  law  as 
expressing  irrefragable,  inviolable  order.  A  miracle  is 
supposed  to  violate  this  inviolate  order,  or  as  Spinoza 
puts  it,  therein  the  God  of  grace  contradicts  the  God  of 
nature  ;  a  self-contradiction,  and  absurd.  But  let  us  con- 
sider the  scope  of  natural  law.  If  it  expresses  merely 
the  play  of  physical  forces  apart  from  will,  then  indeed 
it  expresses  uniform  inviolate  order,  order  without  alter- 
native. And  this  is  a  true  conception.  But  if  the  free 
force  possessed  by  will  intervenes,  this  produces  results  ir- 
reducible to  law.  If  I  put  kindling  and  coal  in  my  stove, 
and  start  a  fire,  I  bring  about  a  certain  combination  and 
state  of  things  which  would  not  occur  in  nature  apart 
from  will,  and  is  not  as  a  whole  conformable  to  any  irre- 
fragable law,  yet  no  one  calls  this  a  violation  of  natural 
law.  The  exercise  of  the  human  will  is  surely  apart  from 
the  uniform  order  of  nature  as  expressed  by  law,  though 
indeed  it  is  not  accounted  supernatural.  But  the  power 
of  a  free  will,  be  it  human  or  divine,  free  to  use  or  not  to 
use,  and  to  direct  and  vary  the  intensity  of  a  physical 
force,  must  be  taken  into  account  in  the  matter  before  us. 


THE  ATTESTATION  101 

We  are  greatly  in  need  of  a  definition  of  a  miracle. 
Stated  generically,  a  miracle  is  a  supernatural  phenome- 
non. A  phenomenon  is  aught  that  appears  to  an  ob- 
server. By  supernatural  is  meant  that  which  transcends 
for  its  production  all  forces  exclusively  physical,  and  any 
combination  with  them  of  the  power  of  human  volition. 
Now  defining  specifically,  we  have  :  A  miracle  is  a  su- 
pernatural phenomenon  caused  by  an  intervention  of  the 
energy  of  divine  will  in  the  established  order  of  nature, 
subjecting  it  to  variation  or  exception.  Herein  the 
divine  will  is  exercised  intelligently  to  direct  or  modify 
physical  forces,  bringing  about  extraordinary  results ; 
historically,  at  a  particular  time,  and  for  a  special  purpose. 
This  cannot  be  called  a  violation  of  natural  law  any  more 
than  we  may  so  call  the  intervention  of  voluntary  human 
energy.  A  locomotive  engineer  controls  his  machine  and 
its  train  at  will  by  handling  a  lever.  The  Ruler  of  the  uni- 
verse directs  its  progress,  and  upon  historic  occasions  has 
likewise  at  will  modified  natural  order  for  specific  purposes. 

Of  the  very  many  miraculous  signs  which  are  stated  in 
the  Gospels  to  have  been  wrought  by  the  divine  power 
of  the  Christ  only  about  forty  are  specifically  recorded. 
They  were  his  credentials  which  attested  his  mission 
from  the  Father  to  mankind.  They  were  all  miracles 
of  mercy  and  love,  instructive  of  his  own  personal  char- 
acter, and  of  the  purpose  of  his  commission.  Some 
such  convincing  evidences  were  needful  in  the  beginning 
and  the  early  days  of  the  Church ;  but  its  historical 
progress  through  many  centuries,  its  spread  in  the  world, 
and  especially  the  development  of  its  doctrines,  furnish 
superseding  evidences,  so  that  the  apologist  no  longer 
offers  the  miracles  in  proof  of  Christianity,  but  Christian- 
ity in  proof  of  the  miracles. 


PART   THIRD 


His   First  Judean  Ministry 


PLAN    OF 

HEROD'S    TEMPLE 

Based  on  Actual  Survey  of  the  Site. 


ANTONIA 


PARBAR 
O 


BRIDGE 


Herod's     Basilica 


Copvrtyht  I'JUJby  Finn  my  II.  Reuell  Cvmpany. 


h- 


VIII 
THE  INCEPTION 

THE  story  of  the  Nazarene  as  here  told  accepts 
the  gospel  narrative  as  veritable  history.  The 
incidents  are  recited  in  the  order  assigned  them 
in  the  standard  harmonies  with  little  deviation.  Their 
distribution  is  more  independent.  Our  story  proposes  to 
dwell  chiefly  on  the  human  personality  of  this  many- 
sided  man,  this  God's  ideal  of  a  man,  to  present  him  as 
he  must  have  appeared  to  an  unprejudiced  observer  of 
that  day,  as  a  man  among  men  taking  part  in  the  life  of 
the  time,  an  historical  phenomenon  in  conflict  with  his 
surroundings  yet  originating  a  new  and  mighty  move- 
ment in  the  world.  We  shall  neglect  doctrines  in  favor 
of  events,  filling  in  the  outline  given  by  the  evangelists 
with  such  details  as  may  be  fairly  inferred  from  the  text, 
and  supplying  collateral  matter  from  archaeology  and 
contemporary  history.  The  formal  purpose  is  to  bring 
Jesus  nearer  to  us  without  ignoring  his  divinity,  to  bring 
the  man  Jesus  home  to  us  by  a  true  and  vivid  represen- 
tation of  his  humanity. 

After  the  wedding  at  Cana,  Jesus  with  his  mother  and 
brethren  and  disciples  went  down  to  Capernaum.  It  was 
now  about  the  beginning  of  April  in  the  year  27,  and  the 
feast  of  the  Passover  was  at  hand.  It  was  the  intention 
of  Jesus  and  his  six  disciples  to  attend  this  feast,  and  they 
weot,  t*>  Capernaum  to  join  some  one  of  the  many  Gali- 

>°5 


106  HIS  FIRST  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

lean  caravans  preparing  to  go  to  Jerusalem.  The  Jews 
of  Galilee  on  going  to  Judea  felt  a  strong  repugnance  to 
passing  through  the  inhospitable  district  of  Samaria,  peo- 
pled by  an  alien,  heretical,  and  socially  hostile  race. 
They  were  therefore  accustomed  to  cross  the  Jordan  just 
below  the  lake  of  Gennesareth  into  Persea,  to  move  south- 
ward past  Bethabara  to  the  ford  opposite  Jericho,  and 
crossing  there  into  Judea  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  thus 
avoiding  a  passage  through  Samaria. 

The  caravan  which  Jesus  and  his  disciples  joined  pur- 
sued this  route,  whose  length  from  Capernaum  was  about 
one  hundred  miles.  At  Bethabara  Jesus  met  John  for 
the  third  and  last  time.  After  some  days  journey  the 
pilgrims  surmounted  Olivet,  and  came  in  sight  of  Jerusa- 
lem and  the  Temple. 

The  view  from  the  brow  of  Olivet  overlooking  the  city 
is  famous.  Beyond  the  Temple  the  hill  of  Zion  was  cov- 
ered with  dwellings  and  palaces,  divided  into  blocks  by 
narrow  streets,  and  surrounded  by  a  lofty  and  strong 
stone  wall  having  fortified  towers  standing  on  it  at  inter- 
vals like  sentinels. 

Between  Olivet  and  the  city  is  the  temple  hill,  whose 
broad  flat  top  nearly  square  and  about  a  thousand  feet 
each  way,  was  enclosed  by  high  and  massive  stone  walls, 
from  which  on  the  right  and  left,  the  city  walls  began 
their  circuit.  Against  the  further  half  of  the  northern 
wall  of  the  Temple,  on  the  right,  outside  the  enclosure, 
stood  the  great  square  tower  or  fortress  of  Antonia,  built 
by  Herod  on  the  site  of  Baris,  an  Asmon?ean  fort.  It  was 
about  400  feet  square  and  of  such  height  that  it  over- 
looked frowningly  the  temple  enclosure  into  which  it 
opened  by  a  gate  and  stairs.     At  this  time  it  was  the  lodg- 


THE  INCEPTION  107 

ment  of  a  Roman  garrison,  whose  specific  duty  was  to 
keep  order  among  the  crowds  of  turbulent  Jews  visiting 
the  Temple. 

The  vast  square  enclosure  paved  with  marble  tesselated, 
was  entered  from  the  city  by  gates,  chiefly  the  four  on 
the  further  or  western  wall.  Against  the  inner  sides  of 
the  enclosing  wall  were  four  porches  or  porticoes  sup- 
ported by  colonnades,  each  extending  the  full  length  of 
the  side.  Under  these  colonnades  the  Schools  of  the 
Doctors  were  ordinarily  held,  there  the  boy  Jesus  con- 
versed with  them,  and  there  Paul  sat  at  the  feet  of  Gama- 
liel. These  colonnades  were  built  of  white  marble,  the 
columns  were  lofty,  sculptured  in  the  elaborate  Corinthian 
style,  and  ranged  in  a  double  row.  The  portico  running 
along  the  eastern  side  was  called  Solomon's  Porch.  That 
along  the  southern  side  was  called  Herod's  Porch.  It 
was  wider  than  the  others,  and  had  a  quadruple  row  of 
columns,  with  a  nave  of  great  height  running  along  the 
middle  in  the  style  of  a  Roman  Basilica,  and  hence  was 
called  also  the  Stoa  Basilica.  A  gate  at  its  western  end 
gave  exit  over  a  massive  stone  bridge  crossing  the  Ty- 
ropceon  valley,  between  the  Temple  and  city,  and  ending 
at  the  Asmonaean  palace. 

In  the  midst  of  the  square  surrounded  by  the  porticoes 
and  open  to  the  sky  was  a  smaller  square  of  about  500 
feet  each  way,  marked  off  by  a  balustrade,  the  Soreg, 
within  which  strangers  were  forbidden  to  enter  on  pain 
of  death.  The  space  covered  by  the  porticoes,  together 
with  the  open  space  outside  the  balustrade,  was  free  to  all 
comers,  and  hence  was  called  the  Court  of  the  Gentiles. 
Within  the  balustrade  on  a  raised  platform  was  the  en- 
closure of  the  Sanctuary,  standing  a  little  to  the  right  of 
the  middle.     It  consisted  of  marble  walls  pierced  by  lofty 


to8  HIS  FIRST  JUDKAN  MINISTRY 

and  highly  sculptured  gateways,  four  on  each  of  the 
northern  and  southern  sides,  leading  into  two  courts  sep- 
arated by  a  cross  wall  and  open  to  the  sky.  The  eastern 
court  was  the  Court  of  Women,  entered  on  the  cast  by  a 
famous  and  highly  decorated  gate,  the  Beautiful  Gate. 
The  passage  from  this  to  the  other  court,  the  Court  of 
Israel,  was  through  a  splendid  arched  gateway  whose 
gate  was  of  Corinthian  brass, known  as  the  Nicanor  Gate. 
In  the  midst  of  the  Court  of  Priests,  which  was  central  to 
the  Court  of  Israel,  stood  the  Brazen  Laver  and  the  great 
Altar  of  Burnt  Offerings. 

Beyond  these  was  the  Sanctuary  itself,  which  consisted, 
first,  of  the  Holy  Place,  having  the  Golden  Candle- 
stick, the  Table  of  Shewbrcad,  and  the  Altar  of  In- 
cense ;  and  secondly,  separated  by  the  Veil  of  the  cella, 
the  Iloly  of  Holies,  or  Most  Holy  Place,  containing — 
nothing. 

The  front  of  the  Sanctuary,  vads,  was  adorned  by  a 
wide  and  lofty  porch,  the  pinnacle  overlooking  the  whole 
Temple,  Itpdv.  Around  the  Sanctuary  and  the  Courts 
adjacent  were  chambers  for  various  purposes  connected 
with  services  of  the  Temple ;  also  halls,  among  which 
was  probably  the  hall  Gazith  wherein  were  held  the  sit- 
tings of  the  Great  Sanhedrin. 

This  extensive  and  splendid  structure  stood  on  the  site 
of  the  post-exilian  Temple  of  Zerubbabcl,  and  of  the  orig- 
inal Temple  of  Solomon,  but  occupied  a  greatly  en- 
larged area.  It  was  the  work  of  Ilcrod  the  Great  who, 
inspired  by  his  Roman  masters,  had  a  passion  for  build- 
ing. He  rebuilt  also  the  Samaritan  Temple  on  Mt. 
Gerizim,  and  added  a  grand  Temple  to  Augustus  Caesar 
at  CnL'sarca.  The  renovation  of  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem, 
begun  in    19  n.  c,  was  far  from  finished  at  the  death  of 


THE  INCEPTION  109 

Herod,  was  still  building  according  to  his  plans  after  the 
lapse  of  forty-six  years  when  Jesus  came  to  it  in  27  a.  n., 
was  finished  at  last  by  Herod  Agrippa  II,  great-grandson 
of  Herod  the  Great,  in  65  a.  n.,  and  was  finally  destroyed 
by  the  Roman  soldiers  of  Titus,  though  his  intent  was  to 
spare  it,  at  the  overthrow  of  Jerusalem  in  70  a.  D.  Its 
elaborate  character  may  be  surmised  from  the  fact  that 
King  Herod  Agrippa  I,  on  being  solicited  to  undertake 
the  renovation  of  the  eastern  cloister  of  Solomon's  porch, 
declined,  saying  that  he  would  rather  undertake  to  pave 
the  whole  city  with  marble.  The  general  magnificence 
of  the  structure  was  perhaps  unsurpassed  by  any  of  the 
famous  heathen  temples  of  antiquity.  And  it  is  well 
worth  noting  that  it  was  the  inverse  of  these  ;  for,  while 
their  splendor  was  external,  facing  outward,  its  glory  was 
internal,  looking  inward.  To  the  Jews  it  was  of  the  pro 
foundest  interest  and  significance,  being  at  once  the  acra, 
the  citadel  or  fortress  ol  Jerusalem,  the  peoples'  bank,  the 
national  treasury,  the  centre  of  national  religions  worship, 
and  the  palace  of  the  covenanted  King,  Jehovah. 

When  Jesus  and  his  disciples  stood  on  the  brow  of 
Mount  Olivet  at  noon  that  memorable  day,  the  9II1  of 
April  in  the  year  27,  and  looked  down  upon  and  within 
the  enclosure  of  the  Temple,  the  gleaming  splendor  of 
the  white  marble  colonnades  and  brazen  gates,  the  majes- 
tic central  Sanctuary  with  if;  towering  portico  and  gilded 
roof,  offered  a  dazzling  sight,  gorgeous  to  the  lust  of  the 
eyes.  The  nation  was  assembling  for  the  Pascal  Feast, 
and  the  courts  of  the  enclosure  were  swarming  with 
thousands  of  stirring  people  engaged  in  worship  or  other- 
wise, while  the  smoke  of  the  great  altar  of  sacrifice 
ascended  in  a  waving   column   to  the  skies,     lint  Jesus 


no  HIS  FIRST  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

was  not  dazzled.  His  divine  eyes  saw  far  more  than  this 
brilliant  show.  Nor  did  he  pause  long  to  gaze  upon  it, 
but  descended  the  mount  with  his  disciples,  passed  by 
Gethsemane,  then  through  the  city  gate,  and  going  round 
to  the  western  side,  where  were  the  great  gates,  entered 
the  enclosure.  Thus  the  Lord  came  suddenly  to  his 
Temple.24 

The  vast  area  of  the  outer  court  was  filled  with  a 
surging  crowd  of  many  thousands.  The  surrounding 
colonnades  had  been  fitted  up  as  bazaars,  where  mis- 
cellaneous articles,  such  as  might  be  desired  by  worship- 
pers and  visitors,  were  being  sold  with  all  that  noisy 
clamor  usual  in  oriental  traffic.  In  every  available  nook 
money-changers  had  set  up  their  tables  where  large 
moneys  could  be  broken  into  small  change,  and  foreign 
moneys  exchanged  for  Jewish  coin,  in  which  alone  the 
temple  tribute  was  payable.  On  all  exchanges,  a  con- 
siderable, usually  an  exorbitant  per  cent,  was  charged, 
from  which  the  total  revenue  was  enormous.  Here  also 
were  noisy  altercations  over  the  weighing  of  coins,  the 
deductions  for  short  weights,  the  charges  for  exchange, 
arguing,  disputing,  bargaining.  Moreover,  the  open 
courts  were  markets  where  cages  of  doves,  the  sacrifice 
of  the  poor,  were  on  sale ;  also,  for  burnt  offerings,  flocks 
of  sheep  huddled  in  groups,  and  even  oxen  tethered  to 
the  balustrades.  These  mingled  their  bleating  and  low- 
ing with  the  clamor  of  the  traders  and  buyers. 

The  temple  traffic  was  licensed  by  the  Jewish  authori- 
ties to  whom,  those  engaging  in  it  paid  a  heavy  tax  for 
the  privilege.  This  was  distinct  from  the  regular  temple 
tribute  applicable  to  the  current  expense  of  the  temple  ser- 
vice. The  payment  for  the  license  to  trade  went  into  the 
pockets  of  the  chief  members  of  the  hierarchy,  and  of 


THE  INCEPTION  in 

the  Sanhedrists.  Especially  the  High  Priests,  Annas  and 
Caiaphas  his  son-in-law,  profited  and  were  enriched  by- 
it.  Indeed  they  themselves  engaged  indirectly  in  the 
traffic  itself ;  there  were  temple  bazaars  known  to  be  and 
styled,  the  Bazaars  of  the  Sons  of  Annas.  These  facts 
and  the  exorbitant  rates  made  the  temple  traffic  unpopu- 
lar with  the  masses,  even  the  traders  themselves  feeling 
that,  though  licensed,  it  was  illegitimate,  and  a  gross 
desecration. 

When  Jesus  entered  his  Temple  and  witnessed  these 
things  his  eyes  flamed  with  indignation,  and  a  consuming 
zeal  possessed  him.  He  made  a  scourge  of  small  cords, 
as  a  symbol  of  punitive  authority,  and  cast  all  out  of  the 
Temple  both  the  sheep  and  the  oxen ;  and  he  poured 
out  the  changers'  money,  and  overthrew  their  tables ; 
and  to  them  that  sold  doves  he  said  : 

"  Take  these  things  hence  ;  make  not  my  Father's 
house  a  house  of  merchandise." 

This  is  an  extraordinary  scene.  He  opens  his  public 
ministry  abruptly  by  an  act  of  aggression,  an  act  at  once 
of  a  reformer  and  a  judge.  He  presents  himself  for  the 
first  time  to  the  Jewish  people  assembled  at  their  princi- 
pal national  feast,  the  Passover,  at  Jerusalem,  in  the 
Temple,  by  doing  haughty  violence  to  an  established 
custom  sanctioned  by  the  ruling  authorities.  And  there 
is  no  resistance  to  this  violent  purgation  of  the  Temple 
by  a  single  man,  a  stranger,  in  the  dress  of  a  Galilean 
peasant.  Was  it  a  miracle  ?  Not  necessarily :  for  there 
was  that  in  his  mien  which  overawed  resistance.  More- 
over the  traders  were  conscience-made  cowards  knowing 
very  well  both  the  extreme  unpopularity  of  their  busi- 
ness, and  the  dangerous  character  of  the  easily  aroused 
Jewish  mob.     Hence  as  here  was  apparently  a  leader, 


112  HIS  FIRST  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

they  were  glad  to  escape  quickly  with  their  scattered 
moneys  regathered,  their  chattels  and  their  beasts. 

The  news  of  this  transaction  was  immediately  known 
to  the  Court  of  the  Sanhedrin,  which  during  the  Pascha, 
was  in  constant  session  in  its  hall  Gazith.  Its  members 
were  insulted  at  the  assumption  in  the  Temple  of  an 
authority  which  they  considered  exclusively  their  own, 
and  incensed  at  the  interruption  of  a  business  which  was 
to  themselves  so  profitable.  The  Court,  therefore,  with  a 
formal  propriety,  deputed  certain  of  their  number  to 
inquire  into  the  affair.  When  these  deputies,  surrounded 
by  a  multitude  watchful  and  curious,  confronted  Jesus, 
they  too  were  overawed  by  his  majesty,  and  cowed  by 
conscience  and  the  dread  of  the  turbulent  mob.  Hence 
they  dared  not  attempt  his  arrest,  but  haughtily  asked : 

"  What  sign  shewest  thou  unto  us,  seeing  thou  doest 
these  things  ?  " 

This  was  a  call  for  his  credentials  to  be  shown  to  the 
proper  parties.  Evidently  they  understood  his  high 
claim.  Signs  from  heaven  had  been  given  by  Moses, 
and  by  Elijah  on  demand ;  so  they  were  due  from  him. 
Jesus  answered  enigmatically : 

"  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise 
it  up." 

They  replied  with  characteristic  scorn : 

"  Forty  and  six  years  was  this  Temple  in  building,  and 
wilt  thou  raise  it  up  in  three  days  ?  " 

But  he  spake  of  the  temple  of  his  body.  The  deputa- 
tion retired  discomfited,  not  daring  to  press  him  further, 
and  made  their  report.  His  meaning  was  not  under- 
stood, but  his  words  were  long  remembered  by  the 
Sanhedrists,  and  three  years  afterwards  were  recalled  and 
misused  against  him.     Nor  did  his  disciples  understand 


THE  INCEPTION  113 

his  meaning  until  after  the  resurrection,  which  was  to  be 
for  them,  and  for  the  whole  world  throughout  the  ages, 
the  great,  the  greatest  sign  of  his  divine  commission. 

The  disciple  John  had  a  home  in  Jerusalem,  as  a 
convenience  in  his  business  of  supplying  the  fish-market 
there,  and  his  cousin  Jesus  was  now  his  guest.  During 
the  Passover  week  Jesus  wrought  signs,  and  many  be- 
lieved. But  he  understood  human  nature  too  well  to 
trust  himself  to  them  at  once.  One  night,  however,  a 
wealthy  Pharisee,  an  eminent  doctor  of  the  law  and  a 
member  of  the  Sanhedrin,  named  Nicodemus,  visited 
him.  The  night-time  was  chosen  possibly  in  fear  of  his 
hostile  confederates  or  in  prudent  caution,  but  more 
probably  because  of  its  greater  convenience  for  private 
conversation.  His  address  to  Jesus  was  in  full  recogni- 
tion of  his  claim,  and  profoundly  reverential : 

"  Rabbi,  we  know  that  thou  art  a  teacher  come  from 
God ;  for  no  man  can  do  these  signs  that  thou  doest,  ex- 
cept God  be  with  him." 25 

The  response  of  Jesus  is  his  first  teaching.  It  is  the 
doctrine  of  the  necessity  of  a  new  birth  from  above,  and 
experience  of  the  purifying  power  of  the  Spirit  for  all, 
excepting  himself;  for  he  said,  not  we,  but  ye  must  be 
born  anew.  He  used  figurative  speech,  which  Nicodemus 
took  literally  and  was  perplexed,  saying : 

"  How  can  these  things  be  ?  " 

The  answer  of  Jesus  is  tinged  with  sarcasm. 

"  Art  thou  the  teacher  of  Israel,  and  understandest  not 
these  things  ?  " 

Then,  having  affirmed  his  own  knowledge  of  them,  he 
adds : 

"  If  I  have  told  you  earthly  things,  and  ye  believed 


ii4  HIS  FIRST  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

not,  how  shall  ye  believe,  if  I  tell  you  heavenly 
things  ?  " 

Clearly  this  closes  the  interview.  Further  teaching 
would  be  vain.  John,  who  was  probably  present  during 
the  conversation  and  who  fifty  years  afterwards  records 
its  substance,  proceeds  with  comments  saying : 

"  And  no  man  hath  ascended  into  heaven,  but  he 
that  descended  out  of  heaven,  even  the  Son  of  man 
which  is  in  heaven." 

Were  these  words  spoken  at  the  time  by  Jesus,  they 
would  be  inexplicable ;  and  hence,  on  that  supposition, 
they  have  been  regarded  as  a  gloss.  But  taken  as  John's 
words  of  many  years  afterwards,  they  are  a  clear  and 
highly  significant  endorsement  of  Christ's  knowledge  of 
heavenly  things.  Then  John  affirms  that,  if  the  world 
is  to  be  brought  to  Christ,  he  must  be  lifted  up,  pro- 
claimed by  his  followers,  even  as  Moses  lifted  up  the 
healing  sign.  Upon  this  the  famous  verse  sixteen  fol- 
lows, John's  epitome,  the  gospel  in  miniature,  the  little 
Bible,  as  Luther  called  it,  which  as  an  inspired  utterance 
is  not  less  authoritative  or  precious  than  if  uttered  by 
the  Saviour  himself. 

In  the  course  of  the  story  of  the  Nazarene,  we  shall 
hear  of  Nicodemus  again.  Tradition  has  it  that  in  after 
years  he  was  baptized  by  Peter  and  John ;  that  con- 
sequently he  was  deposed  from  the  Sanhedrin  and 
exiled ;  that  though  rich  he  became  poor,  and  gained  his 
living  as  a  scavenger ;  but  that  finally  he  rose  to  be  the 
Christian  bishop  of  Caesarea. 

After  the  Pascal  Feast,  Jesus  and  the  disciples  who 
came  with  him  from  Galilee  tarried,  not  in  Jerusalem, 
but  in  the  country  of  Judea.     They  journeyed  from  place 


THE  INCEPTION  115 

to  place,  making  a  tour  of  the  towns  and  villages  which 
were  numerous  round  about  Jerusalem,  Jesus  teaching 
and  his  disciples  baptizing  the  many  who  believed  on 
him.  This  Judean  ministry  continued  for  about  eight 
months.  We  have  no  incidents  preserved ;  but  it  is 
probable  that  during  this  time  Jesus  made  acquaintance 
with  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  a  good  and  just  man,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sanhedrin,  and  with  the  sisters  Martha  and 
Mary  and  their  brother  Lazarus,  whose  home  was  at 
Bethany  less  than  two  miles  east  of  Jerusalem.  All 
these  became  believers,  and  a  warm  personal  and  mutual 
friendship  sprang  up  between  Jesus  and  the  members  of 
the  family  at  Bethany.  They  too  will  reappear  in  the 
progress  of  the  story.26 


IX 

THE  INTERRUPTION 

FOR  a  clear  understanding  of  subsequent  events, 
it  is  needful  to  recur  to  the  history  of  the  Herodian 
family.  It  has  already  been  said  that  Herod's 
eldest  surviving  son,  Philip  I,  was  living  privately  at 
Rome.  He  had  married  his  half-niece  Herodias,  grand- 
daughter of  Herod  and  Mariamne  the  Jewish  Asmonsean 
princess,  and  daughter  of  their  son  Aristobulus,  executed 
by  Herod.  Philip  I  was  his  son  by  a  later  marriage, 
and  hence  the  half-uncle  of  Herodias  his  wife,  by  whom 
at  Rome  he  had  a  daughter  Salome. 

Antipas,  tetrarch  of  Galilee  and  Peraea,  had  set  up  his 
court  at  Tiberias.  He,  half  Idumean,  half  Samaritan, 
was  married  to  an  Arabian  princess,  the  daughter  of  the 
emir,  or  king,  Aretas,  of  Petraea  south  of  the  Dead  Sea. 
On  a  ceremonial  visit  to  Rome  to  condole  with  Emperor 
Tiberius  on  the  death  of  his  son  Drusus,  23  a.  d.,  while 
the  guest  of  his  elder  half-brother  Philip  I,  he  became 
enamored  of  Herodias,  Philip's  wife,  his  own  half-niece  also. 
She  was  a  very  ambitious  woman,  and  rather  than  live  pri- 
vately at  Rome,  she  consented  to  elope  with  Antipas, 
and  share  his  principality  in  Palestine,  he  promising  to 
divorce  his  Arabian  wife,  and  marry  her.  Accordingly 
they  fled  from  Rome  to  Tiberias,  taking  with  them  her 
daughter  Salome.  The  wife  of  Antipas,  forewarned,  had 
already  fled  to  her  royal  father  Aretas  at  Petraea,  who  soon 
made  war  on   Antipas  to  avenge  her.     Her  formal  di- 

116  . 


THE  INTERRUPTION  117 

vorce,  it  seems,  was  accomplished,  but  not  that  of 
Herodias ;  nevertheless  Antipas  and  Herodias  lived  as  man 
and  wife  at  Tiberias.  This  scandalous  affair,  and  the  con- 
nection, at  once  adulterous  and  violative  of  other  sacred 
family  ties,  was  of  course  notorious.  The  Jews,  especially 
those  of  Galilee  and  Peraea,  keenly  felt  it  to  be  a  social 
and  national  dishonor. 

While  Jesus  with  his  six  disciples  was  still  pursuing 
his  ministry  in  Judea,  John  the  baptizer  moved  from 
his  station  at  Bethabara,  up  the  Jordan  to  ^Enon,  the 
Springs,  near  to  Salim  in  southeast  Galilee.  There  he 
renewed  his  camp-meeting.  After  a  time  some  of  his 
disciples  got  news  of  the  successful  ministry  of  Jesus  in 
Judea,  and  of  the  great  numbers  who  were  there  baptized. 
This  awoke  their  jealousy,  and  they  went  to  their  mas- 
ter John  with  querulous  words.  But  the  grand  man 
rebuked  them  grandly,  saying  with  joy,  yet  with  a 
humility  that  is  sublime : 

"  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease." 

Then,  after  some  further  testimony,  this  last  repre- 
sentative of  the  old  dispensation  uttered  his  last  recorded 
teaching,  which,  fusing  the  old  and  the  new,  condenses 
the  whole  of  the  Gospel  of  Salvation. 

"  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  eternal  life ;  but 
he  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the 
wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him." 

This  remarkable  utterance,  recorded  in  John  3 :  36, 
resembles  yet  contrasts  with  the  precious  verse  sixteen 
of  the  same  chapter.  The  one,  in  the  spirit  and  manner 
of  the  Old  Testament,  closes  with  threatened  wrath  ;  the 
other  opens  widely  the  New  Testament  with  the  promise 
of  everlasting  life. 


Ii8  HIS  FIRST  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

John,  now  at  JEnon,  not  far  south  of  Tiberias,  was 
preaching  to  crowds  of  people,  who  held  him  to  be  a 
prophet.  He,  being  enquired  of  concerning  the  court 
scandal,  expressed  freely  and  publicly  his  condemnation. 
Antipas  hearing  of  this,  had  him  arrested  on  the  pretext 
that  the  crowds  he  collected  endangered  public  safety. 
John  was  taken  bound  to  the  palace  at  Tiberias,  and  im- 
prisoned in  its  dungeon.  Soon  a  preliminary  trial 
was  ordered,  and  he  stood  in  the  throne-room  before  the 
royal  pair.27 

The  splendid  hall,  of  marble  floor  and  frescoed  ceiling, 
surrounded  by  galleries  supported  by  marble  columns, 
had  near  its  upper  end  a  raised  dais  on  which  stood  the 
carved  and  gilded  throne  relieved  against  richly  embroid- 
ered curtains.  The  galleries  were  filled  with  men  and 
women  courtiers ;  the  bodyguard,  dressed  and  armed 
in  Roman  fashion,  were  ranged  between  the  columns  ; 
counsellors  were  at  their  desks  on  either  hand  of  the 
throne,  upon  which  were  seated  Antipas  and  Herodias, 
arrayed  in  robes  of  state  with  all  the  insignia  of  royalty. 
Antipas  was  then  nearly  fifty  years  of  age,  Herodias  about 
thirty-five.  He  was  of  handsome  build,  but  of  foxy 
countenance  and  restless  eyes.  She,  inheriting  the 
famous  beauty  of  her  grandmother  Mariamne,  was  in 
the  maturity  of  her  feminine  charms.  Her  splendid 
eyes  were  steady  and  bold,  her  mien  haughty  and 
queenly. 

And  now  a  prisoner  in  bonds  is  brought  forward,  and 
made  to  stand  in  the  vacant  centre  of  the  scene.  His 
long  black  hair  and  beard,  his  sackcloth  shirt  and 
leathern  girdle,  his  bare  arms  and  sandaled  feet,  contrast 
strongly  with  the  brilliant  surroundings.  But  though 
manacled  and  fettered,  his  bearing  is  brave,  his  posture 


THE  INTERRUPTION  119 

erect,  and  there  is  fire  in  his  eye — a  chained  eagle  of  the 
wilderness. 

By  Roman  law  a  prisoner  may  be  put  to  the  question, 
and  his  answers  used  in  evidence.  Accordingly,  Antipas 
asks  : 

"  By  what  authority  do  you  hold  assemblies  within  my 
domain  ?  " 

John  firmly  and  boldly  replies  : 

"  By  an  authority  higher  than  thine." 

This  answer  gives  Antipas  to  pause.  He  quails  be- 
fore the  piercing  eye  of  the  prophet.  He  knows  the 
story  of  Ahab  and  Elijah,  and  trembles.  But  Herodias,  the 
Jezebel  of  the  time,  does  not  tremble.    She  defiantly  asks  : 

"  What  is  it  you  said  of  us  ?  " 

John  gives  no  heed  to  her  query.  He  does  not  even 
look  towards  her.  After  a  moment  of  silence,  Antipas, 
glad  to  be  relieved,  commands  : 

"  Answer  that  question." 

"  I  said,  and  say  again,  It  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to 
have  thy  brother  Philip's  wife." 

Herodias  is  enraged.  To  be  thus  insulted  in  royal 
court  by  a  rough  adventurer,  is  intolerable.  Moreover, 
it  may  lead  to  unsettling  her  position.  So,  lest  there  be 
more  of  this  non  licet,  John  is  promptly  remanded  to  his 
dungeon. 

Then  Herodias  set  herself  against  him,  and  desired  to 
kill  him.  But  she  could  not ;  for  Antipas  feared  John, 
knowing  that  he  was  a  righteous  man  and  a  holy,  and 
kept  him  safe  from  her  hands.  At  other  times  Antipas 
sent  for  and  heard  John  gladly,  though  he  was  much 
perplexed,  for  Herodias  pressed  him.  But  as  there  were 
still  in  him  some  dregs  of  a  conscience  and  a  will,  he  re- 
sisted this  unscrupulous   and  vindictive  Lady  Macbeth. 


120  HIS  FIRST  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

Yet  probably  he  would  have  yielded  and  put  the  prisoner 
to  death,  had  he  not  feared  also  the  multitude ;  for  they 
counted  John  as  a  prophet. 

The  foregoing  scene  has  often  been  repeated.  John 
before  Antipas  reminds  us  forcibly  of  Ambrose  before 
Theodosius,  of  Becket  before  Henry  II,  of  Knox  before 
Mary  Stuart. 

Here  ends  the  public  career  of  John,  the  reformer,  the 
herald,  the  baptizer.  After  fifteen  or  more  years  of  soli- 
tary and  silent  preparation  in  the  deserts,  he  spent  hardly 
so  much  as  one  decreasing  year  along  the  Jordan  ;  then 
was  chained  in  a  dungeon  for  life.  Apparently  his 
career  was  a  piteous  failure.  Naturally  he  was  depressed  ; 
for,  though  used  to  solitude,  the  free  man  of  the  desert 
chafes  at  imprisonment. 

As  soon  as  Jesus  in  Judea  heard  that  John  was  cast 
into  prison,  he  saw  proper  to  close  his  work  there,  and 
return  to  Galilee.  Besides,  the  Pharisees  of  the  temple 
party  had  heard  of  his  success,  that  he  was  making  and 
baptizing  more  disciples  than  John,  which  aroused  anew 
their  jealousy  and  fanned  their  incipient  hostility.  As 
this  would  likely  bring  about  some  embarrassing  inter- 
ference, he  resolved  to  retire  for  the  present  from  that 
field  of  labor.  The  return  into  Galilee  with  his  six  com- 
panions, could  not  be  made  prudently  by  the  route 
through  Persea ;  for  this  would  bring  him  to  pass  along 
the  coasts  of  Tiberias,  just  now  excited  by  John's  im- 
prisonment, where  he  also  would  be  liable  to  molesta- 
tion, and  even  arrest.  Hence  he  must  needs  pass  through 
Samaria.28 

The  repugnance  of  the  Jews  to  passing  through  the  dis- 


THE  INTERRUPTION  121 

trict  of  the  inhospitable  Samaritans  has  already  been  men- 
tioned. The  deep  seated  hostility  of  these  neighboring 
peoples  now  calls  for  explanation. 

In  the  year  721  b.  c,  the  city  Samaria  was  taken  by 
Sargon,  king  of  Assyria,  which  put  an  end  to  the  north- 
ern  kingdom  of  Israel.  This  was  immediately  followed 
by  the  final  deportation  of  the  ten  tribes,  often  spoken  of 
as  the  Lost  Tribes  of  the  House  of  Israel. 

In  678  b.  c,  Esarhaddon,  king  of  Assyria  at  Babylon, 
colonized  the  depopulated  districts  of  Ephraim  and  West 
Manasseh,  south  of  Carmel,  the  best  portion  of  Pales- 
tine. The  colonists  were  idolatrous  Cuthaeans  of  five 
different  nations,  each  having  its  own  god.  They  were 
soon  infested  by  pestilence,  and  also  by  lions  and  other 
beasts  of  prey,  which  had  probably  multiplied  in  the  in- 
terim. So  they  appealed  to  the  king  of  Assyria,  who 
sent  them  one  of  the  Jewish  captive  priests  teaching 
them  to  worship  Jehovah,  the  god  of  that  land.  This 
they  did,  but  continued  to  serve  also  their  graven  images. 
After  a  time  the  city  of  Samaria  was  rebuilt,  and  this 
alien  and  mixed  people  of  mixed  religion  became  known 
thenceforth  as  the  Samaritans. 

In  536  b.  c.  the  Jews  began  to  return  from  their  east- 
ern captivity,  and  the  next  year  the  rebuilding  of  the 
Temple  at  Jerusalem  was  undertaken  by  Zerubbabel. 
The  Samaritans  proposed  to  help,  but  were  repulsed ;  so 
they  hindered,  and  the  enmity  began.  The  walls  of 
Jerusalem  were  rebuilt  by  Nehemiah  in  ^44-3  b.  c.  in 
spite  of  the  active  opposition  of  the  Samaritans  under 
Sanballat  their  Moabitish  leader. 

About  the  year  409  b.  c,  Manasseh,  a  deposed  and 
expelled  Jewish  priest,  took  refuge  with  the  Samaritans, 
and  built  a  temple  to  Jehovah  on  Mt.  Gerizim.     This  in- 


122  HIS  FIRST  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

tensified  the  mutual  animosity  of  the  peoples,  which  found 
vent  in  mutual  aggression  and  retaliation.  The  Samari- 
tans adopted  the  Pentateuch  of  Moses,  but  rejected  the 
rest  of  the  Jewish  canon.  They  observed  the  Law  with 
great  exactness,  and  have  been  justly  charged  with  ultra- 
Mosaicism.  They  even  went  so  far  as  to  claim  descent 
from  the  Jewish  patriarchs.  All  this  excited  intense 
scorn  in  the  Jews.  A  Samaritan  was  not  allowed  to 
testify  in  court,  was  not  admitted  to  proselytism,  was 
formally  and  publicly  cursed  in  the  synagogue  and  denied 
the  hope  of  eternal  life.  "  Thou  dog  of  a  Jew,"  was 
constantly  met  by  the  bitter,  "  Thou  art  a  Samaritan,  and 
hast  a  devil." 

In  332  b.  c,  Alexander  the  Great  destroyed  the  city 
Samaria,  and  in  109  b.  c,  Hyrcanus,  a  Jewish  Asmonaean 
prince,  destroyed  the  Samaritan  temple.  Both  were 
soon,  but  poorly,  rebuilt.  Herod  finally  took  them  in 
hand.  He  renovated  the  city  and  renamed  it  Sebaste, 
the  Greek  for  Augustus,  in  honor  of  the  Roman  emperor. 
Also  he  renovated  the  temple  on  Mt.  Gerizim. 

The  city  Shechem,  the  centre  of  Samaritan  life,  was 
contemptuously  nicknamed  by  the  Jews  Sychar,  meaning 
falsehood  or  drunkard.  After  the  time  of  Christ  it  was 
ruined,  but  was  rebuilt  a  little  westward  of  its  old  site  by 
Vespasian,  the  Roman  emperor,  and  named  Neapolis  or 
New  Town,  which  has  been  corrupted  to  Nablus.  It  still 
exists  under  this  name.  A  remnant  of  the  ancient 
Samaritans,  about  200,  have  a  settlement  there,  and  still 
observe  the  Mosaic  Law  and  celebrate  the  Passover  on 
Mt.  Gerizim. 

As  Jesus  and  his  company  journeyed  afoot  northward, 
they  came  in  Samaria  nigh  to  the  small  city  Sychar  or 


THE  INTERRUPTION  123 

Shechem,  situated  between  Mts.  Ebal  and  Gerizim,  the 
mounts  of  the  Cursing  and  Blessing.  And  Jacob's  well 
was,  and  still  is,  there.  This  well  is  one  of  the  few 
memorials  of  remote  antiquity  identified  beyond  all 
question.  It  was  dug  by  the  patriarch  Jacob  about 
eighteen  centuries  before  Christ  came  to  it  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  year  27,  and  it  still  remains  after  nearly  nine- 
teen centuries  more  have  passed  away.  It  is  remarkable 
that  a  hole  in  the  ground  should  be  more  a  permanent 
memorial  than  vast  cities  and  massive  monuments.  The 
well  is  seven  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter,  is  lined  with 
rough  masonry,  and  is  now  about  seventy-five  feet  deep, 
being  partly  filled  with  stone  rubbish.  Its  opening  was 
formerly  protected  by  a  low  parapet  surmounted  by 
stone  coping.  The  site  is  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of 
Shechem,  which  is  supposed  to  have  extended  nearer  in 
the  year  27,  sufficiently  near  to  be  convenient  for  persons 
living  in  the  eastern  suburbs.  It  is  close  by  the  foot  of 
Mt.  Gerizim,  on  which  stood  the  Samaritan  temple.29 

When  at  noon  the  travellers  reached  the  well,  Jesus, 
hungry  and  thirsty,  foot-sore  and  weary,  sat  down  just  as 
he  was  on  the  coping  to  rest,  while  his  companions,  leav- 
ing him  alone,  went  to  the  town  to  buy  food.  He  could 
not  quench  his  thirst,  for  he  had  no  means  to  draw  water 
from  the  well.  But,  says  Bengel,  Ubi  sitis  recurrit  liom- 
inis,  non  aquce  defectus  est.  After  a  time  there  came, 
perhaps  from  work  in  the  fields  near  by,  a  woman  of  the 
town,  with  a  water-pot  and  long  cord,  to  draw  water. 
She  saw  a  Jew  sitting  there,  but  disdainfully  disregarding 
him,  proceeded  to  let  down  her  water-pot.  When  she 
had  drawn  it  up  again  full  and  dripping,  Jesus  asked  her, 
very  gently  and  courteously  : 

"  Give  me  to  drink." 


124  HIS  FIRST  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

She  turned  to  him  rudely,  and  refusing  with  a  dis- 
dainful toss  of  the  head,  asked  in  reply : 

"  How  is  it  that  thou  being  a  Jew,  askest  drink  of  me, 
which  am  a  Samaritan  woman  ?  " 

Evidently  she  was  a  shrew,  ready  for  an  altercation. 
But  Jesus  replied  mildly  and  impressively : 

"  If  thou  knewest  the  gift  of  God,  and  who  it  is  that 
saith  unto  thee,  Give  me  to  drink,  thou  wouldst  have 
asked  of  him,  and  he  would  have  given  thee  living 
water." 

Observe  that  this  greatest  of  all  teachers  habitually 
made  use,  as  here,  of  objects  at  hand  to  illustrate  figura- 
tively his  teaching.  He  knew  the  force  of  a  sensuous 
impression,  especially  on  undisciplined  minds,  and  made 
it  serve  to  convey  spiritual  truth.  Thus  the  water  made 
wine  was  symbolic.  At  the  very  outset  of  his  public 
ministry,  he  said  in  the  Temple  to  the  Sanhedrists  de- 
manding a  sign,  Destroy  this  temple  and  in  three  days  I 
will  raise  it  up.  How  like  was  he  to  the  Temple  their 
eyes  beheld,  plain  without,  all  glorious  within ;  and  how 
much  greater  the  rebuilding  in  three  days  of  his  temple 
than  of  that  whited  sepulchre.  When  he  would  teach 
Nicodemus  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  he  said,  The  wind 
bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  voice 
thereof,  but  knowest  not  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither 
it  goeth  ;  so  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit.  We 
may  be  sure  that  as  he  thus  spoke,  there  was  a  wind, 
invisible,  intangible,  but  full  of  power,  soughing  and 
vociferating  around  the  house  where  they  were  sitting. 
Now  to  the  Samaritan  woman  at  the  well,  he  spoke  of 
the  water  of  life.  It  is  further  to  be  observed  that  what 
he  spoke  literally  was  often  taken  figuratively ;  and  what 
was  figurative  was  taken  literally.     So  the  Sanhedrists, 


THE  INTERRUPTION  125 

and  even  his  disciples,  understood  him  to  refer  to  the 
marble  Temple ;  Nicodemus  interpreted  the  new  birth 
literally  ;  and  now  likewise  the  Samaritan  woman,  puz- 
zled by  the  mystery  of  his  reply,  yet  mollified  and  inter- 
ested by  its  hint  of  a  gift,  says : 

"  Sir,  thou  hast  nothing  to  draw  with,  and  the  well  is 
deep;  from  whence  then  hast  thou  that  living  water?  " 

Then  forgetting  the  distinction  just  now  made,  and 
claiming  kindred,  she  sneeringly  adds  : 

"  Art  thou  greater  than  our  father  Jacob,  which  gave 
us  the  well,  and  drank  thereof  himself,  and  his  sons,  and 
his  cattle  ?  " 

Jesus  answered  more  explicitly  : 

"  Every  one  that  drinketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst 
again  ;  but  whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  him  shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  him  shall  become  in  him  a  well  of  water  springing 
up  unto  life  eternal." 

The  woman,  altogether  materialistic  and  hopeful  of 
gain,  replied : 

"  Sir,  give  me  this  water,  that  I  thirst  not,  neither  come 
all  the  way  hither  to  draw." 

The  relation  is  reversed ;  now  the  woman  asks  for 
water.  But  her  persistently  blind  literalness  made  it 
needful  to  try  some  other  method.  So  Jesus  said 
abruptly : 

"  Go  call  thy  husband,  and  come  hither." 

She  was  startled,  and  after  some  hesitation  replied  with 
a  flushed  face : 

"  I  have  no  husband." 

Jesus  looked  her  straight  in  the  eyes,  and  said  signifi- 
cantly : 

"  Thou  saidst  well,  I  have  no  husband ;  for  thou  hast 


126  HIS  FIRST  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

had  five  husbands  ;  and  he  whom  thou  now  hast  is  not 
thy  husband  ;  this  hast  thou  said  truly  " 

The  woman,  abashed,  turned  away,  looked  down  the 
well  where  truth  lies,  and  murmured : 

"  Sir,  I  perceive  that  thou  art  a  prophet." 

This  implied  a  confession ;  also  a  recognition  of  super- 
human insight.  But  that  a  Jewish  stranger  should  thus 
in  bald  words  lay  bare  her  private  life,  was  intolerable. 
She  dared  not  resent  it,  but  would  evade  it.  She  did  not 
want  to  talk  about  that.  Promptly,  with  feminine  adroit- 
ness, she  changed  the  subject,  and  plunged  at  once  into 
polemical  theology;  a  trick  that  history  has  made  very 
familiar. 

"  Our  fathers  worshipped  in  this  mountain,"  said  she, 
pointing  to  Mt.  Gerizim  and  its  temple ;  "  and  ye  say, 
that  in  Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  men  ought  to 
worship." 

She  was  doubtless  well  informed  and  quite  ready  to 
gnaw  this  old  bone  of  contention  between  the  Samaritan 
and  Jew.  But  the  response  of  Jesus  left  no  room  for 
discussion. 

"  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour  cometh,  when  neither 
in  this  mountain,  nor  in  Jerusalem,  shall  ye  worship  the 
Father.  God  is  Spirit ;  and  they  that  worship  him  must 
worship  in  spirit  and  truth." 

This  grand  revelation  of  the  pure  spirituality  of  God, 
and  of  his  worship,  as  independent  of  place  and  cere- 
monial circumstance,  was  more  than  she  could  grasp. 
Hence  her  reply : 

"  I  know  that  Messiah  cometh ;  when  he  is  come,  he 
will  declare  unto  us  all  things." 

Jesus  saith  unto  her  : 

"  I  that  speak  unto  thee  am  he." 


THE  INTERRUPTION  127 

It  is  wonderful  that  this  first,  clear  and  distinct  avowal 
of  his  Christhood,  should  be  made  in  private  to  a  strange 
Samaritan  woman  of  known  bad  character,  thus  utterly- 
violating  all  antecedent  expectation.  Yet  it  was  thus  in 
strict  consistency  with  his  lowly  birth,  his  life  through- 
out, and  his  death.  Moreover  let  it  be  noted  that,  while 
Jesus  permitted  his  six  followers  from  the  outset,  and 
afterwards  the  apostles,  to  regard  him  as  the  Messiah,  the 
Christ,  he  charged  them,  lest  it  should  embarrass  his 
teaching,  to  keep  it  a  secret,  and  himself  never  avowed 
it  publicly  until,  at  his  fatal  trial,  he  was  finally  put  upon 
oath  by  the  High  Priest. 

The  woman  upon  this  avowal  to  her,  was  surprised, 
amazed.  Under  a  sudden  impulse,  she  turned  and  has- 
tened away  without  a  word. 

Just  as  she  was  leaving,  the  disciples  returned  with  food, 
and  marvelled  that  he  was  speaking  with  a  woman.  For 
in  those  times  woman  was  slightly  esteemed,  and  it  was 
a  condescension  in  man  to  treat  her  with  consideration. 
That  a  Rabbi  should  converse  with  a  woman  was  a 
marvel.  And  this  was  a  Samaritan  woman.  How  much 
greater  would  have  been  the  wonder  of  the  disciples  had 
they  known  what  sort  of  a  woman  their  Master  con- 
descended to  teach ;  and  how  much  greater  still  would  it 
have  been,  had  they  known  what  those  teachings  were, 
teachings  of  higher  grade,  revelations  more  distinct  and 
sublime,  than  any  they  themselves  had  yet  received. 
They  had  much  to  learn  ;  especially  that,  in  the  Christian 
dispensation,  which  they  were  destined  to  administer,  all 
movements  were  to  be  from  the  lowly  upward,  and  that 
in  its  ordinance,  there  can  be  neither  Jew  nor  Gentile, 
there  can  be  no  more  male  and  female ;  for  all  are  one  in 
Christ  Jesus.     Woman's  rightful  parity  in  the  home,  in 


128  HIS  FIRST  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

society,  in  the  Church  was  founded  here  in  Samaria,  and 
is  vindicated  wherever  Christianity  prevails. 

The  wondering  disciples  however  durst  not  ask  any 
questions  ;  but  offering  the  food  they  had  brought,  they 
said  to  him  simply : 

«  Rabbi,  eat." 

But  he  apparently  exhilarated  by  the  recent  interview, 
replied : 

"  I  have  food  to  eat  that  ye  know  not." 

Seeing  them  whispering  one  to  another,  Hath  any  man 
brought  him  aught  to  eat  ?  thus  taking  him  literally,  he 
explained : 

"  My  food  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me." 

Then  referring  to  wheat-fields  near  by,  which  at  that 
season  were  still  green,  he  added : 

"  Say  not  ye,  There  are  yet  four  months  to  harvest  ?  " 

Then  waving  his  hand  towards  the  town,  he  continued : 

"  Behold  fields  white  already  unto  harvest.  .  .  . 
One  soweth,  and  another  reapeth." 

This  last  probably  refers  to  the  work  of  John  the 
baptizer,  whose  latter  stations  were  near  the  borders  of 
Samaria,  and  whose  teachings  had  drawn  and  prepared 
the  Samaritans  of  Sychar. 

The  woman  hurried  to  the  town,  leaving  her  water-pot 
standing  on  the  curb-stone,  either  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  travellers,  or  more  probably  forgetting  it  in  her 
eager  haste  to  be  the  first  to  tell  the  news,  and  said  to  all 
the  men  she  met : 

"  Come  and  see  a  man  which  told  me  all  things  that 
ever  I  did.     Can  this  be  the  Christ  ?  " 

Jesus  had  told  her  one  thing  only ;  she  said,  all  things. 
We  may  pardon  this  feminine,  or  perhaps  it  would  be 
safer  to  say,  oriental  exaggeration,  in  view  of  her  enthu- 


THE  INTERRUPTION  129 

siasm,  and  of  its  clear  characterization,  a  final  graphic  touch 
perfecting  a  vivid  portrait.  Tradition  gives  her  name  as 
Photina,  but  the  history  exposing  her  character,  with- 
holds, with  greater  delicacy,  her  name.  Evidently  she  was 
known  to  be  a  gossip  and  a  news-monger ;  for  her  towns- 
men, who  afterwards  heard  Jesus  and  believed,  said  to  her  : 

"  Now  we  believe,  not  because  of  thy  speaking ;  for  we 
have  heard  for  ourselves." 

There  has  been  a  vast  deal  of  pious  sentiment  written 
up  about  this  woman  of  the  well,  even  making  out,  de- 
spite her  refusal  to  give  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  the  thirst- 
ing, that  her  coming  to  draw  water  was  an  act  of  devotion, 
and  that  she  was  turned  into  a  saint  on  the  spot ;  whereas 
there  is  not  a  word  that  she  says  or  a  thing  that  she  does 
which  lends  the  slightest  color  to  such  fancies.  The 
scene  is  charming  in  its  naturalness,  and  external  simplic- 
ity, and  vivid  delineation,  and  striking  contrasts  ;  the 
teacher,  in  his  doctrine  and  revelation,  is  sublime;  the 
pupil,  a  smart  but  commonplace  woman  of  the  slums, 
fails,  so  far  as  the  history  goes,  of  her  opportunity,  and  is 
never  heard  of  more. 

Those  who  came  out  to  the  well  that  afternoon  to  hear 
him,  besought  him,  Jew  as  he  was,  to  abide  with  them. 
So  he  spent  two  days  teaching  in  Sychar,  the  town  of 
liars  and  drunkards ;  and  many  more  believed.  This 
brief  yet  fruitful  service  was  the  second  Act  in  his  public 
ministry.  And  be  it  noted  that  Jesus  never  at  any  time 
uttered  a  word  disparaging  the  Samaritans. 

After  this  short  sojourn,  he  and  his  company  went  for- 
ward into  Galilee,  he  to  his  home  at  Nazareth,  his  com- 
panions to  their  homes  at  Cana  and  Bethsaida. 

Thus  ended  his  first  Judean  Ministry. 


PART  FOURTH 


His  Galilean  Ministry 


X 

THE  NEW  HOME 

THE  ministry  of  Jesus  in  Galilee  dates  from  his 
return  home,  about  the  first  of  December,  a.  d. 
27,  and  lasted,  including  preparations  and  an 
excursive  visit  to  Jerusalem,  sixteen  months.  The  sub- 
stance of  his  teaching,  as  that  of  John,  was,  The  time 
is  fulfilled,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand ;  repent 
ye,  and  believe  in  the  Gospel.  The  report  of  his  work 
at  Jerusalem  witnessed  by  many  Galileans  there,  and  of 
his  Judean  ministry,  preceded  him,  and  he  was  glorified 
of  all. » 

Before  this  general  work  began,  however,  there  was  an 
interval  of  rest,  a  change  of  home,  and  some  special  prep- 
aration. 

Having  lingered  about  a  week  at  Nazareth  with  his 
mother,  he  visited  Cana,  where  Nathaniel  dwelt,  and  was 
the  guest  of  his  newly  married  relations.  At  this  time 
the  son  of  Chuza,  as  seems  quite  probable,  was  lying  sick 
of  a  fever  at  Capernaum.  Chuza,  the  husband  of  Joanna, 
was  a  royal  officer,  steward  of  the  household  of  Herod 
Antipas.  He  hearing  of  the  return  of  Jesus  into  Galilee 
sought  and  found  him  at  Cana,  and  besought  him  that  he 
would  come  down  and  heal  his  son,  who  was  at  the  point 
of  death.     Jesus  said  to  him  : 

"  Except  ye  see  signs  and  wonders,  ye  will  in  nowise 
believe." 3I 

133 


134  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

Chuza,  not  disposed  to  consider  generalities,  anxiously 
urged  his  practical  point. 

"  Sir,  come  down  ere  my  child  die." 

Jesus  yielding  to  the  importunate  prayer,  said : 

"  Go  thy  way ;  thy  son  liveth." 

This  was  about  one  o'clock  in  the  day.  Chuza  be- 
lieved, and  returned  leisurely  towards  Capernaum,  stop- 
ping over  night  on  the  way.  Next  morning  his  slaves  met 
him,  sent  by  his  wife  with  the  good  news  that  their  son 
was  restored.  Being  asked  at  what  hour  he  began  to 
amend,  they  told  him,  The  fever  left  him  yesterday  at  the 
seventh  hour.  This  is  Jewish  time  corresponding  to  our 
one  o'clock.  Hence  Chuza  and  his  whole  house  became 
believers. 

The  grant  was  to  a  slave  holder ;  also  to  an  officer  of 
Herod  Antipas,  who  at  that  very  time  was  holding  John, 
an  innocent  and  holy  man,  the  friend  and  kinsman  and 
herald  of  the  benefactor,  in  chains.  For  Chuza  himself 
there  was  no  reproach  ;  but,  in  view  of  his  official  relation, 
it  was  the  extreme  of  generosity,  of  liberality. 

The  miracle  has  been  considered  especially  wonderful 
because  of  its  telepathic  character,  Jesus  being  at  Cana, 
while  the  cure  was  effected  at  Capernaum,  fifteen  or  more 
miles  away.  But  why  specially  wonderful  ?  The  earth 
sways  the  moon,  a  physical  telepathy.  But  how  ?  No- 
body knows.  Newton  established  the  fact  and  general- 
ized from  it,  but  could  not  explain  it.  Surely  then,  there 
is  no  occasion  for  sterile  astonishment,  if  the  energy  of 
the  divine  will  intervenes  among  physical  forces,  and  at 
a  distance,  small  or  great,  enforces  new  combinations. 

This  was  the  second  of  the  first  two  recorded  miracles. 
Cana  was  made  famous  forever  as  the  place  of  both.  We 
have  already  heard  the  Nazarene  as  teacher.     With  this 


THE  NEW  HOME  135 

second  miracle  he  enters  upon  his  supplementary  work 
as  Heliand,  the  healer. 

Jesus  returned  from  Cana  to  Nazareth,  and  on  the  Sab- 
bath went  as  usual  to  the  Synagogue.  On  this  occasion 
he  proposed  to  offer  the  gospel  of  salvation  first  in  Gali- 
lee to  his  townsmen.  He  stood  up  to  read  and  selected 
a  passage  from  Isaiah  descriptive  of  Messiah's  beneficent 
work,  and  having  read  it  to  the  congregation,  whose  eyes, 
full  of  expectant  curiosity  were  fastened  upon  him,  he 
sat  down,  the  attitude  of  a  teacher,  and  said : 

"  To-day  hath  this  scripture  been  fulfilled  in  your 
ears."  M 

And  as  he  proceeded  all  wondered  at  the  grace  of  his 
words,  and  whispered  one  to  another,  Is  not  this  Joseph's 
son  ?  Perhaps  there  was  in  this  an  allusion  to  his  ques- 
tionable birth.  Certainly  it  was  an  expression  of  indig- 
nation that  one  so  familiar  to  them  for  thirty  years  and 
of  humble  station  should  presume  upon  his  lately  acquired 
fame  to  teach  them  and  make  such  haughty  claims ;  and 
it  was  dictated  by  jealousy  of  his  doing,  while  in  Cana  the 
rival  village,  a  work  of  healing  at  Capernaum,  in  another 
district.  The  teacher,  knowing  what  was  in  man,  and  di- 
vining their  thoughts,  said : 

"  Doubtless  ye  would  apply  to  me  the  proverb,  Physi- 
cian heal  thyself;  and  say,  Whatsoever  we  have  heard 
done  at  Capernaum,  do  also  here  in  thine  own  country. 
But  verily  no  prophet  hath  honor  in  his  own  country." 

He  then  cited  two  well-known  historical  instances  of 
preference  given  by  prophets  even  to  foreigners.  The 
divine  irony  of  his  speech,  and  the  hint  of  his  mission 
to  the  Gentiles,  aroused  the  wrath  of  the  Jewish  as- 
sembly.    Suddenly  it  changed  to  a  frantic  mob,  rushed 


136  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

upon  him  with  senseless  clamors,  took  him  out  of  the 
town  to  a  precipice,  intending  to  hurl  him  down  head- 
long. But  at  the  last  moment  Jesus  overawed  them, 
and  passing  out  from  among  them,  returned  quietly  to 
his  home. 

It  is  hard  to  realize  this  mad  attempt  to  lynch  him, 
harder  to  understand  it,  and  still  harder  to  own  these 
wretches  as  fellow-men.  Such  casting  of  pearls  and 
rending  of  swine  would  be  almost  incredible,  did  not  the 
history  of  mankind  record  many  instances  of  fanatical 
persecution  only  a  little  less  wicked,  stupid  and  brutal. 
Happily  the  Steep  of  Precipitation,  under  the  denuding 
influences  of  time,  has  disappeared,  even  more  com- 
pletely than  its  congener  the  Tarpeian  Rock  at  Rome, 
whence  in  early  days  state-criminals  were  hurled  ;  else 
surely  humanity  through  all  the  Christian  ages  would, 
on  bended  knees,  with  covered  faces  of  shame,  do  vain 
penance  at  its  foot. 

Subjected  to  such  gross  indignity,  and  threatened 
again  with  death  by  violence  at  the  hands  of  his  towns- 
men, Jesus  could  no  longer  dwell  at  Nazareth.  Im- 
mediately he  changed  his  home,  and  with  his  mother 
went  down  and  dwelt  at  Capernaum. 

Capernaum  was  a  populous,  prosperous  and  proud 
city,  situate  in  Gennesaret,  the  northwest  coast  of  the 
Sea  of  Galilee  or  Lake  of  Gennesaret.  It  occupied  a 
long  slope  from  the  upland  to  the  coast,  having  con- 
spicuously at  its  centre  a  marble  Synagogue.  It  was  the 
home  of  Zebedee  and  his  wife  Salome,  the  sister  of 
Mary  the  Virgin  and  mother  of  James  and  John,  which 
perhaps  was  a  reason  why  Jesus  selected  it  as  his  new 
home.     Along  the  coast  the  city  spread  into  suburbs  on 


The  Sea  of  Galilee  from  the  North. 


THE  NEW  HOME  137 

the  right  and  left;  that  on  the  south  was  Bethsaida, 
house  of  fish,  the  home  of  Philip,  Andrew  and  Simon 
Peter ;  the  northern  suburb  was  possibly  Chorazin.  The 
principal  commerce  of  the  city  was  in  fish  from  the 
lake.  These  were  distributed  throughout  Palestine,  even 
to  Jerusalem,  where,  as  we  have  seen,  John  the  son  of 
Zebedee,  a  fisherman,  had  a  dwelling  or  business  station. 
This  source  of  wealth  made  Capernaum  the  chief  city  of 
Galilee,  throughout  which  its  highways  radiated.  Hence 
his  new  home  was  an  advantageous  position  from  which 
Jesus  proposed  to  evangelize  Galilee. 

The  adjoining  Lake  of  Gennesaret  is  especially  in- 
teresting. It  is  about  six  miles  broad  by  thirteen  long, 
and  its  surface  is  700  feet  below  the  Mediterranean. 
Lying  thus  in  a  deep  valley  with  massive  hills  on  the 
east  and  west,  it  is  fed  by  the  upper  Jordan  springing 
from  Mt.  Hermon  and  entering  on  the  north  about  three 
miles  above  Capernaum,  and  is  discharged  from  its 
southern  end  along  the  lower  Jordan  into  the  Dead  Sea. 
It  is  liable  to  sudden  and  severe  storms,  caused  by  the 
cold  and  heavy  air  from  the  Hermon  range  sweeping 
along  its  surface  to  displace  the  hot  and  light  air  of  the 
lower  Jordan  valley.  But  ordinarily  it  is  smooth,  bright 
and  sunny.  Its  waters  are  clear,  fresh  and  sweet, 
abounding  in  fish  ;  and  the  little  white-winged  ships  of 
the  fisherman  constantly  enliven  the  surface.  Towns 
and  cities  cluster  on  its  borders,  and  between  them  the 
shores  down  to  the  water's  edge  are  clothed  with  bloom- 
ing oleanders. 

The  Dead  Sea  or  Lake  Asphaltes,  sixty-four  miles  to 
the  south,  is  nine  miles  broad  by  fifty  long,  and  its  sur- 
face is  1,300  feet  below  the  Mediterranean,  and  3,800  feet 
below  Jerusalem.     It  contrasts  in  several  particulars  with 


138  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

the  Galilean  lake.  It  has  no  outlet ;  hence  its  waters  are 
intensely  salt,  and  hence  also  there  is  no  life  in  its  bosom, 
on  its  surface,  or  around  its  borders  of  wilderness  and 
desert.  Storms  do  not  awake  it,  silence  reigns  above  it, 
and  it  spreads  its  pall  over  the  cities  of  doom. 

These  two  lakes  are  symbolic,  the  latter  of  death  from 
which  is  no  escape,  the  former  of  the  open  way  of  life. 
The  one  lies  dark  in  the  shadow  of  God's  frown ;  the 
other  gleams  brightly  with  the  sunshine  of  his  love. 
The  one  is  bitter,  telling  of  sin  and  sorrow ;  the  other  is 
sweet,  telling  of  purity  and  joy.  The  one  stands  for  the 
Law,  Do  that,  and  thou  shalt  die;  the  other  for  the 
Gospel,  Do  this,  and  thou  shalt  live.  The  one  speaks  of 
penalty,  the  other  of  pardon.  The  one  is  the  lake  of 
the  Old  Testament,  which  mentions  it  only ;  the  other  is 
the  lake  of  the  New  Testament,  which  mentions  it  only. 
John,  the  second  Elijah,  closing  the  old  dispensation, 
lived  in  the  wilderness  on  the  borders  of  Lake  Asphaltes 
nearly  all  his  solitary  life.  See  him  in  his  prophet's  garb 
sitting  on  a  rock  that  overhangs  its  gloom,  meditating 
and  assimilating  the  stern,  uncompromising  Law.  At 
last  he  passes  up  the  Jordan  and  meets  with  Jesus,  who 
says,  Thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness. 
Then  and  there  the  Law  merges  into  the  Gospel.  John 
ascends  the  river  nigh  to  Lake  Gennesaret,  is  arrested, 
imprisoned,  returned  to  the  borders  of  his  own  lake  and 
murdered.  Jesus  passes  down  into  its  bordering  wilder- 
ness, is  confronted  and  does  battle  with  Satan,  then  re- 
turns to  dwell  by  the  Gospel  lake.  See  him  sitting  in 
the  gently  rocking  boat,  telling  of  eternal  life  to  the 
eager  crowd  on  shore.  The  lake  is  his  to  teach  along  its 
shores,  to  rest  upon  its  bosom  amid  sunshine  and  storm, 
and    to   make  its   freshness,  its   life,   its  stirring  scenes, 


THE  NEW  HOME  139 

symbolic  forever  of  the  Gospel  of  that  salvation  which 
he  still  lives  to  bestow. 


The  fame  of  the  Nazarene  was  already  rife  in  Caper- 
naum when  he  made  it  his  home.  One  day,  very  soon 
after  his  arrival,  as  he  was  walking  on  the  shore  of  the 
lake,  a  crowd  of  people  gathered  around  him.  So  he 
stepped  into  a  boat  belonging  to  Simon,  who  was  near 
by  with  his  brother  Andrew  washing  their  fish-nets,  and 
asked  him  to  put  out  a  little  from  the  land.  And  he  sat 
down  and  taught  the  people  from  the  boat.  When  he 
had  done  speaking  he  said  to  Simon  : 

"  Put  out  into  the  deep,  and  let  down  your  nets  for  a 
draught."33 

Night-time  was  more  favorable  for  fishing  with  nets, 

the    fish   being   attracted  to  the  boat  by  the  light  of 

torches.     Hence  Simon,  with  a  doubt  in  his  mind,  said  : 

"  Master,  we  toiled  all  night,  and  took  nothing ;  but 

at  thy  word  we  will  let  down  the  nets." 

When  they  had  done  so  they  enclosed  a  great  multitude 
of  fishes  ;  and  their  nets  were  breaking.    So  they  signalled 
to  their  partners,  James  and  John,  in  another  boat,  for 
help.     They  came,  and  both  boats  were  filled  nigh  unto 
sinking.     When  Simon  Peter  saw  it,  overwhelmed  with 
the  sense  of  divine  presence,  and  recalling  his  doubt  and 
personal  unworthiness,  he  kneeled  down  to  Jesus,  saying  : 
"  Depart  from  me  ;  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord." 
To  this  impromptu  prayer  Jesus  graciously  replied  : 
"  Fear  not ;  from  henceforth  thou  shalt  catch  men." 
When  they  landed  he  said  to  Peter  and  Andrew  : 
"  Come  ye  after  me,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of 
men." 

These  then  left  their  nets  and  followed  him.     Going  on 


1 40  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

from  thence,  he  saw  the  brothers,  James  and  John,  who 
had  already  returned,  in  their  boat  mending  their  nets. 
He  called  them  also,  and  straightway  they  left  their  father 
Zebedee  in  the  boat  with  the  servants,  and  followed 
him. 

This  beautiful  lake  scene,  the  first,  of  a  series,  was  very 
significant.  The  miraculous  draught  of  fishes,  besides  be- 
ing a  princely  compensation  to  its  owners  for  the  use  of 
the  boat,  was  at  once  a  proof  of  divine  authority  for  the 
call  about  to  be  made,  and  a  promise  of  divine  assistance 
and  abundant  success  in  their  prospective  avocation.  The 
impulsive  Simon  Peter  here  first  comes  to  the  front  in  his 
habitual  role  as  spokesman.  The  four  young  men  now 
called  to  be  the  constant  companions  of  Jesus,  and  to  be- 
come with  others  his  apostles,  were  of  those  who  accom- 
panied him  in  Judea.  They  knew  him  very  well,  and 
hence  responded  to  his  call  readily  and  heartily. 

And  when  the  Sabbath  day  was  come,  the  first  Sabbath 
in  his  new  home,  Jesus  went  as  his  custom  was  to  public 
worship.  This  was  held  in  the  house  of  prayer,  the  Beth 
Tephillah,  or  the  place  of  assembly,  the  Synagogue,  the 
great  central  building  of  Capernaum.  There  he  took  his 
seat  on  the  platform  and  proceeded  to  teach  the  congre- 
gation. Though  already  a  celebrity  among  them,  the 
people  were  astonished  at  his  teaching,  for  he  taught 
them  not  as  the  Scribes,  the  Doctors  of  the  Law,  with 
hesitation  and  submission,  but  with  words  of  authority. 
He  was  interrupted,  however,  by  a  man  in  the  congrega- 
tion, who  had  a  spirit  of  an  unclean  demon. 

Here  in  the  story  of  the  Nazarene  we  come  upon  the 
obscure  and   difficult  subject  of  demoniacal   possession. 


THE  NEW  HOME  141 

In  the  midst  of  all  that  is  bright  and  beautiful,  this  dark 
shadow  falls.  The  general  conception  is  of  an  evil  spirit 
taking  possession  of  a  man's  brain,  the  demonic  will  over- 
mastering the  human  will,  and  controlling  ideation  and 
corporal  action.  The  man's  mind  or  spirit  is  not  wholly- 
displaced  by  that  of  the  demon,  but  subjugated,  and  he  is 
forced  to  think  the  thoughts  and  speak  the  words  of  his 
master.  He  is  tortured  with  a  confused  dual  conscious- 
ness, so  that  when  perhaps  he  would  do  good,  evil  is  pres- 
ent with  him.  An  especial  mystery  is  that  in  some 
cases  a  number  of  demons  are  represented  as  possessing 
the  same  person. 

The  credibility  of  demoniacal  possession,  like  that  of 
miracles,  rests  primarily  on  the  belief  in  the  existence  and 
providence  of  God,  and  in  supernatural,  transcendental 
realities.  If  there  be  good  spirits,  there  may  be  evil 
spirits.  Since  God  permits  evil  men  to  be,  surely  for 
some  like  inscrutable  reason  he  may  permit  evil  demons 
to  be.  Hardly  less  credible  is  the  further  permission,  in 
special  cases,  to  take  masterful  possession  of  a  man's 
brain  and  body,  thus  to  deal  more  effectively  with  mate- 
rial things,  and  indulge  native  malignity. 

Historically  we  have  the  testimony  of  the  evangelists 
and  apostles  that  these  things  were  so,  that  their  day  was 
marked  by  an  extraordinary  accession  of  Satanic  influence. 
Matthew  distinguishes  lunacy  or  epilepsy,  and  the  physi- 
cian Luke  distinguishes  diseases  in  general  from  posses- 
sion. Jesus  recognizes  the  personality  of  the  demon  as 
distinct  from  the  personality  of  the  possessed.  Whoever 
rejects  this  must  give  up  the  integrity  of  the  Gospels.  It 
seems  that  the  phenomenon  is  peculiar  to  the  New  Testa- 
ment history.  There  is  little,  if  any,  mention  of  it  in  the 
Old  Testament.     It  has  been  freely  attributed  by  Chris- 


142  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

tian  writers,  to  heathen  peoples,  ancient  and  modern,  and 
formularies  for  exorcism,  found  in  the  ritual  of  the  early- 
Church,  have  been  in  use  until  quite  recent  times.  But 
authentic  evidence  of  cases  of  demoniacal  possession  is 
lacking  for  times  and  places  beyond  the  New  Testament 
scope.  It  disappeared  with  miracles,  at  the  close  of  the 
apostolic  age. 

It  will  be  remembered  of  the  great  temptation  in  the 
wilderness,  that  when  Satan  had  exhausted  his  wiles,  he 
departed  for  a  season.  But  it  was  only  for  a  season.  He 
soon  recovered  from  his  defeat,  and  sent  a  legion  of  his 
vassals  into  the  land  to  annoy,  to  embarrass,  to  entangle 
and  if  possible  to  debase  his  victor.  These  emissaries 
swarmed  around  about  him,  and  with  malignant  glee  did 
what  they  could  to  work  their  master's  will.  They  in- 
stigated the  mob  at  Nazareth,  they  spread  distempers  of 
body  and  mind  among  the  people,  they  perched  upon 
the  shoulder  of  many  a  jealous  fanatic,  and  whispering  vile 
suggestions  in  his  ear,  used  him  as  a  tool.  Their  spirit 
essence  being  intangible  and  invisible,  the  boldest  sought 
to  enlarge  the  limit  of  their  power  by  stealing  and  using 
the  brain  and  brawn  of  human  victims,  and  thus  more 
directly  bring  their  force  to  bear  upon  the  world  of  men 
and  things.  Yet  while  rejoicing  in  iniquity  and  distress, 
they  never  lost  sight  of  the  special  purpose  of  their  mis- 
sion, to  tempt,  ensnare  and  overthrow  the  Nazarene. 

In  the  Synagogue  of  Capernaum,  as  Jesus  was  teach- 
ing, an  unclean  spirit,  speaking  by  the  tongue  of  the 
man  he  possessed,  suddenly  vociferated : 

"  Ah,  what  have  we  to  do  with  thee,  thou  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  ?  Art  thou  come  to  destroy  us  ?  I  know  thee 
who  thou  art,  the  Holy  One  of  God."  M 


THE  NEW  HOME  143 

A  slight  analysis  finds  this  to  be  a  very  remarkable 
speech.  The  questions  indicate  that  the  conspirators  be- 
lieve and  tremble.  The  first  is  a  disclaimer  for  the 
whole  cohort,  and  a  lie.  The  second  admits  and  depre- 
cates his  adverse,  power.  Then  follows  an  assertion  of 
the  speaker's  own  knowledge,  testifying  the  divine  char- 
acter and  origin  of  the  teacher,  and  a  truth.  So  anxious 
is  the  demon  to  reach  his  end,  that  he  violates  his  own 
innermost  nature,  and  tells  the  truth ;  another  form 
of  lie.  See  herein  also  a  very  artful  temptation.  Had 
Jesus  accepted  this  freely  offered,  supernatural  and  true 
testimony  in  his  behalf,  or  even  allowed  it  to  pass,  it 
would  have  compromised  and  entangled  him.  But, 
however  skillfully  laid  the  snare,  he  could  not  be  taken  in 
its  toils.  Promptly  he  rebuked  and  commanded  the 
demon : 

"  Hold  thy  peace,  and  come  out  of  him." 
The  demon,  having  violently  convulsed  his  victim  as  a 
parting  token,  obeyed  with  a  loud  cry  of  rage,  came  out 
of  him,  and  so  disappeared.  The  people  were  amazed 
at  this  exhibition  of  power  and  the  report  of  it  went  out 
through  all  the  city. 

From  the  Synagogue,  Jesus  went  with  the  brothers, 
Simon  and  Andrew,  to  dine  and  spend  the  Sabbath 
afternoon  at  their  home  in  the  suburb  Bethsaida.  The 
brothers,  James  and  John,  their  partners  in  the  business 
of  fishery,  also  were  invited,  and  accompanied  him. 
There  Simon  Peter's  wife's  mother  lay  sick  of  a  great 
fever.  Jesus  was  told  of  it,  and  was  besought  for  her. 
Consenting,  he  went  in  unto  her,  stood  over  her,  took  her 
by  the  hand,  and  raising  her  up  rebuked  the  fever  which 
immediately  left  her,  and  she  arose  and  served  in  the  en- 


144  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

tertainment  of  the  guests.     The   remainder  of  the  day- 
was  spent  in  quiet  social  converse.35 

The  whole  city  was  outwardly  quiet  that  Sabbath 
afternoon,  but  noiseless  rumors  of  the  exorcism  in  the 
Synagogue,  and  also  of  this  fever  cure,  were  flying,  in 
the  winged  way  that  rumors  have,  through  all  its  courts. 
In  many  a  home  of  sickness  and  sorrow  hope  sprang  up, 
and  busy  preparation.  When  the  sun  had  set,  which 
closed  the  Jewish  Sabbath  day,  the  people,  restrained 
thus  far  by  their  scrupulous  regard  for  its  sanctity,  poured 
into  the  streets,  bearing  their  sick  and  afflicted,  and 
made  their  way  to  Bethsaida.  Soon  in  the  twilight  hour, 
a  great  crowd  of  hundreds  gathered  before  the  door 
of  Peter's  home,  and  filled  the  air  with  clamorous  suppli- 
cations. Here  a  young  man  supports  the  tottering 
steps  of  his  feeble  brother ;  there  a  father  carries  gently 
in  his  arms  a  pale  little  girl.  Yonder  a  widow  leads  her 
boy  frantic  with  a  demon ;  beside  her  a  husband  holds  in 
strong  embrace  his  dying  wife;  and  here  two  stalwart 
sons  bear  on  a  litter  their  aged  palsied  mother ;  these, 
and  a  hundred  others,  press  forward,  crying  out  for  help 
and  healing. 

Heliand  stands  in  the  doorway,  and  glances  over 
the  crowd  of  anxious  people.  They  hail  him  in  loud 
petitions.  Moved  with  compassion,  he  steps  down 
among  them,  a  word  here,  another  there,  a  touch  on  the 
right,  another  on  the  left,  for  this,  for  that,  for  the  other 
sufferer.  With  rebuke  he  casts  the  demons  out,  not 
permitting  them  to  speak,  for  they  know  him.  And  as 
he  moves  amid  the  thronging  sufferers,  with  tears  of 
pity  in  his  eyes,  there  are  before  him  clamors  and  groans 
and  cries  of  pain,  and  shrieks  and  calls  for  succor ; 
behind  him  are  shouts  of  joy,  glad  greetings  and  loving 


THE  NEW  HOME  145 

embraces,  tears  and  smiles  of  gladness,  and  even  psalms 
of  thankful  praises.  As  he  passes  through,  groans  abate, 
songs  multiply,  until  at  last  there  is  a  universal  jubilee. 
For  he  healed  them  all,  every  one.  On  that  blessed 
evening,  in  the  twilight  hour,  he  turned  sickness  and 
sorrow  to  health  and  gladness,  and  his  new  home, 
Capernaum,  was  cleansed. 


XI 

THE  FIRST  TOUR  AND  ITS  SEQUEL 

THE  next  morning,  which  was  Sunday,  Jesus 
rose  before  dawn,  and  went  out  to  a  solitary 
place,  as  was  his  custom,  for  private  prayer. 
Simon  Peter  and  the  others  followed  him,  and  when  they 
found  him  they  said,  All  men  seek  thee.  And  the  mul- 
titudes also  sought  him,  and  came  unto  him,  wishing 
him  to  stay,  that  he  should  not  go  from  them.  But  he 
said  to  them,  I  must  preach  the  good  tidings  to  other 
cities  also,  for  therefore  was  I  sent.  To  his  immediate 
disciples  he  said,  Let  us  go  elsewhere  into  the  next 
towns,  that  I  may  preach  there  also,  for  to  this  end 
came  I  forth.  And  he  went  into  the  Synagogues 
throughout  all  Galilee. 

That  part  of  Palestine  lying  between  the  Mediterranean 
Sea  and  the  Jordan  with  its  lake,  and  north  of  the  Carmel 
ridge,  was  called  Galilee.  The  name  Galilee,  means  a 
circle  or  circuit,  and  was  originally  applied  to  the  region 
around  Kedesh  in  which  were  situated  twenty  towns 
given  by  Solomon  to  Hiram,  King  of  Tyre,  but  ultimately 
was  applied  to  the  whole  district.  Except  the  triangular 
plain  of  Esdraelon  in  the  southwest,  the  country  is  hilly 
and  especially  in  the  north  mountainous,  reaching  up 
into  the  Lebanon  range.  In  the  first  century  Galilee  was 
very  populous,  having  a  great  number  of  towns  and  vil- 
lages.    The  Jewish  population  was  mixed  with  Phceni- 

146 


THE  FIRST  TOUR  AND  ITS  SEQUEL     147 

cians,  Greeks,  Syrians  and  Arabs,  particularly  in  the 
northern  part,  so  that  upper  Galilee  was  sometimes  called 
Galilee  of  the  Gentiles.  While  Greek  was  a  familiar 
language,  still  the  vernacular  of  its  Jews  was  Aramaic, 
spoken  however  with  a  peculiar  accent  and  dialect. 
Because  of  the  Gentile  admixture,  the  southern  Jews  in 
Judea,  of  purer  speech  and  greater  refinement,  despised 
the  rough  Galilean  highlanders.  But  these  were  more 
prosperous,  and  progressive  than  the  self-satisfied  and 
privileged  Judeans,  and  comparatively  free  from  priestly 
and  pharisaical  domination.  It  was  a  common  saying, 
If  one  wants  to  be  rich,  let  him  go  north ;  if  he  wishes  to 
be  wise,  let  him  come  south.  Galilee  was  the  chief  part 
of  the  tetrarchy  of  Herod  Antipas. 

The  tour  of  Jesus  attended  by  his  four  elect  disciples 
throughout  all  Galilee,  began  in  December,  a.  d.  27,  and 
ended  in  the  latter  part  of  March  in  the  next  year,  thus 
occupying  nearly  four  months.  During  this  time  he  was 
engaged  in  teaching  in  the  Synagogues  of  the  towns, 
and  preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  curing  all 
manner  of  disease,  all  manner  of  sickness  among  the 
people.  And  the  report  of  the  healing  Nazarene  went 
forth  into  all  Syria.  And  they  brought  unto  him  all  that 
were  sick,  holden  with  divers  diseases  and  torments, 
demoniac,  epileptic,  and  palsied,  and  he  healed  them. 
And  there  followed  him  great  multitudes  from  Galilee 
and  Decapolis,  Jerusalem  and  Judea,  and  Peraea.30 

According  to  this  statement  it  is  conjectured  that 
the  route  of  the  tour  was :  First,  northward  along  the 
Jordan,  and  westward  along  the  confines  of  the  tetrarchy 
of  Philip,  which  would  disseminate  his  fame  in  Syria; 
secondly,  by  the  coasts  of  Phoenicia,  southward ;  thirdly, 


148  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

eastward,  along  the  borders  of  Samaria,  the  nearest 
approach  to  Judea;  and  lastly, along  the  borders  of  Peraea 
and  Decapolis,  northward  again  towards  Capernaum.  A 
vast  region  evidently  was  aroused  by  his  wonderful  and 
beneficent  works,  and  his  popularity,  unhindered  as  yet 
by  envious  contradictions,  was  ascendant. 

Of  this  great  teaching,  preaching  and  healing  tour, 
only  one  particular  incident,  occurring  apparently  near 
its  close  in  lower  Galilee,  is  given.  It  is  told  in  the  fol- 
lowing words : 

"  And  there  came  a  leper  to  him,  beseeching  him,  and 
kneeling  down  to  him,  and  saying  unto  him,  If  thou  wilt 
thou  canst  make  me  clean.  And  Jesus,  moved  with 
compassion,  put  forth  his  hand  and  touched  him,  and 
saith  unto  him,  I  will ;  be  thou  clean.  And  as  soon  as 
he  had  spoken,  immediately  the  leprosy  departed  from 
him,  and  he  was  cleansed." 37 

Nothing  can  be  more  beautiful  than  this  exquisitely 
simple  story,  told  for  us  in  the  purest  English  without 
an  excessive  word.  The  picture  is  equally  simple,  and 
vividly  sketched.  Yet  the  matter  far  surpasses  the  man- 
ner. The  contrasts  are  extreme  and  striking  :  foul  dis- 
ease and  pure  health,  weakness  and  power,  the  suppli- 
cating knee  and  the  condescending  touch,  the  contagion 
reversed,  the  will  to  be  clean  and  the  will  to  make  clean, 
the  helpless  and  the  helper,  the  human  need  and  the 
divine  grace.  The  pathos  is  deep  and  moving:  the 
suffering  of  the  wretched  outcast,  the  pity  of  the  com- 
passionate touch,  the  instant  life  and  vigor,  purity  and 
joy.  But  all  this,  exquisite  as  it  is,  pales  before  the  sub- 
lime love  and  power  of  a  present  deity  in  this  miraculous 
work  of  his  will. 


THE  FIRST  TOUR  AND  ITS  SEQUEL     149 

Leprosy  is  a  virulent,  deadly  disease  of  the  skin  and 
flesh,  incurable  by  any  art,  that  gradually  eats  its  way 
into  the  vitals.  It  is  highly  contagious,  and  hence  by 
law  the  leper  is  driven  from  his  home  and  the  haunts  of 
men,  and  required  to  dwell  apart.  Anciently,  there 
being  no  provision  for  shelter,  he  wandered  in  desert 
places,  and  was  required  to  warn  wayfarers  by  crying, 
Unclean !  The  ailment  is  a  biblical  type  of  inveterate 
sinfulness,  and  was  the  subject  of  special  enactments  of 
ceremonial  law.  It  is  evident  therefore,  that  this  healing 
of  the  leper  is  representative  of  the  abundant  work  of 
the  whole  tour,  both  the  healing  from  disease,  and  the 
cleansing  from  sin.  In  the  conviction  and  faith  of  the 
suppliant,  and  the  instant  and  complete  work  of  cleans- 
ing grace,  is  seen  a  universal  type  of  regeneration. 

The  foregoing  outline  sketch  of  the  scene  has,  with 
poetic  license,  been  filled  in  and  colored  thus : 


"  Room  for  the  leper !     Room !     And  as  he  came 
The  cry  passed  onward.     And  aside  they  stood, 
Matron  and  child,  and  pitiless  manhood,  all 
Who  met  him  on  the  way,  and  let  him  pass. 
And  onward  through  the  open  way  he  came, 
A  leper  with  the  ashes  on  his  brow, 
Sackcloth  about  his  loins,  and  on  his  lips 
A  covering,  stepping  painfully  and  slow; 
And  with  a  difficult  utterance,  like  one 
Whose  heart  is  with  an  iron  nerve  put  down, 
Crying,  Unclean !     Unclean ! 

"  Not  one  of  all 
The  many  whom  he  loved,  nor  she  whose  name 
Was  woven  in  the  fibres  of  his  heart 
Breaking  within  him  now,  to  come  and  speak 
Comfort  unto  him.     Yea,  he  went  his  way, 
Sick,  and  heart-broken,  and  alone  to  die ; 
For  God  had  cursed  the  leper. 


150  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

"  It  was  noon, 
And  now  he  knelt  beside  a  stagnant  pool 
In  the  lone  wilderness,  and  bathed  his  brow, 
Praying  that  he  might  be  so  blest,  to  die. 
Footsteps  approached,  and  with  no  strength  to  flee, 
He  drew  the  covering  closer  on  his  lips, 
Crying,  Unclean  !     Unclean  !  and  in  the  folds 
Of  the  coarse  sackcloth  shrouding  up  his  face, 
He  fell  upon  the  earth  till  they  should  pass. 
Nearer  the  stranger  came,  and  bending  o'er 
The  leper's  prostrate  form,  pronounced  his  name, 
Helon  !  arise.     And  he  forgot  his  curse, 
And  rose  and  stood  before  him. 

"  Love  and  awe 
Mingled  in  the  regard  of  Helon's  eye, 
As  he  beheld  the  stranger.     In  his  mien 
Command  sat  throned  serene,  and  as  he  smiled, 
A  kingly  condescension  graced  his  lips. 
His  garb  was  simple  and  his  sandals  worn; 
His  stature  modell'd  with  a  perfect  grace ; 
His  eye  was  blue  and  calm  as  is  the  sky 
In  the  serenest  noon ;  his  hair  unshorn 
Fell  to  his  shoulders ;  and  his  curling  beard 
The  fullness  of  perfected  manhood  bore. 
He  look'd  on  Helon  earnestly  awhile, 
As  if  his  heart  were  moved,  and  stooping  down, 
He  took  a  little  water  in  his  hand, 
And  laid  it  on  his  brow,  and  said,  Be  clean. 
And  lo  !  the  scales  fell  from  him,  and  his  blood 
Coursed  with  delicious  coolness  through  his  veins, 
And  his  dry  palms  grew  moist,  and  on  his  brow 
The  dewy  softness  of  an  infant's  stole. 
His  leprosy  was  cleansed,  and  he  fell  down 
Prostrate  at  Jesus'  feet,  and  worship'd  him." 

Jesus  charged  the  healed  leper  to  tell  no  man,  but  to 
go  show  himself  to  the  priest,  and  make  the  required 
offering.  This  also  is  typical.  But  the  man  could  not, 
or  at  least  did  not  hold  his  peace,  but  began  to  publish  it 
abroad,  insomuch  that  Jesus  could  not  openly  enter  into 


THE  FIRST  TOUR  AND  ITS  SEQUEL     151 

Capernaum,  but  stayed  without  in  desert  places.  Yet 
great  multitudes  came  together  to  hear,  and  be  healed. 
His  popularity  was  now  at  its  height. 

After  some  time  Jesus  went  privately  to  Capernaum, 
and  to  his  home.  The  tour  was  ended,  but  several  inci- 
dents occurred  as  its  sequel.  Soon  it  was  noised  that  the 
famous  Nazarene  had  returned.  A  crowd  collected,  fill- 
ing the  interior  court  of  the  house,  and  blocking  the  en- 
trance. There  were  present  Pharisees  and  Scribes,  Doc- 
tors of  the  Law,  from  Galilee  and  Judea,  and  even  from 
Jerusalem.  While  Jesus  was  teaching,  four  men  came 
bringing  on  his  pallet  or  thin  mattress  a  paralytic  who 
had  been  smitten  since  the  general  healing  of  the  city 
more  than  three  months  before.  They  could  not  enter 
the  court  by  the  doorway  because  of  the  crowd,  so  they 
mounted  by  an  outside  stairway  to  the  roof,  and  remov- 
ing the  covering,  perhaps  an  awning,  over  the  place 
where  Jesus  was,  lowered  by  means  of  ropes  the  pallet 
with  its  burden  so  that  it  rested  just  in  front  of  him.  He 
seeing  their  faith  said  to  the  palsied  man  : 

"  Son,  be  of  good  cheer  ;  thy  sins  are  forgiven."  ^ 

But  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  began  silently  to  reason, 
Who  is  this  that  speaketh  blasphemies  ?  Who  can  for- 
give sins  but  God  alone?  Then  Jesus,  knowing  their 
thoughts,  said : 

"  Wherefore  think  ye  evil  in  your  hearts  ?  For 
whether  is  easier,  to  say,  Thy  sins  are  forgiven ;  or  to 
say,  Arise  and  walk  ?  But  that  ye  may  know  that  the 
Son  of  man  hath  authority  on  earth  to  forgive  sins  (he 
said  to  the  palsied  man),  Arise,  take  up  thy  couch,  and 
go  unto  thy  house." 

Immediately  the  man  rose   up  before  them,  took  up 


152  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

that  whereon  he  lay,  and  departed  to  his  house.  And 
amazement  took  hold  on  them  all,  saying,  We  have  seen 
strange  things  to-day. 

The  Doctors  reasoned  well,  but  one  of  their  premises 
was  false.  This  Jesus  showed  by  cogent  logic  a  fortiori. 
He  condescended  to  reason  with  them.  They  were  con- 
futed, and  let  us  hope  convinced.  Moreover,  here  for 
the  first  time  he  formally  and  distinctly  offers  a  miracu- 
lous sign  as  a  credential  of  his  divine  authority,  as  a  cer- 
tificate of  his  commission  to  be  a  plenipotentiary  ambas- 
sador from  the  court  of  heaven. 

Soon  after  this  Jesus  left  the  house,  and  went  down  to 
the  lake-side.  He  was  followed  by  many ;  and  as  he 
walked  he  talked  with  them,  as  did  likewise  the  peripa- 
tetic Aristotle  with  his  disciples  three  centuries  before. 
It  was  a  busy  mart  at  the  wharf  of  Capernaum,  for  there 
the  fisheries  of  the  lake,  the  principal  commerce  of  the 
city,  debarked  and  disposed  of  their  produce.  And  pub- 
lican tax-gatherers  were  there  to  collect  the  customs  or 
tolls. 

The  publicans  were  inferior  officers  employed  as  col- 
lectors of  the  Roman  revenue  intended  for  the  treasury, 
publicum.  The  Roman  senate  farmed  out  the  provinces 
to  capitalists, publicani,  who  paid  a  definite  rent,  and  then 
employed  natives  as  collectors,  rtXwvai,  portitores,  publi- 
cans. In  order  to  profit,  the  principals  encouraged  their 
agents  in  fraudulent  exactions,  overcharging  whenever 
they  could,  making  accusations  of  smuggling  so  as  to 
extort  hush-money,  and  the  like,  the  agent  sharing  the 
profit.  Such  employment  brought  out  all  the  besetting 
vices  of  the  Jewish  character.  Moreover,  whether  it  was 
lawful  for  Jews  to  pay  Roman  tribute  at  all,  was  a  ques- 


THE  FIRST  TOUR  AND  ITS  SEQUEL     153 

tion  to  which  the  Scribes  answered,  It  is  not.  Hence,  by 
many,  the  publicans  were  regarded,  not  only  as  willing 
tools  of  the  oppressor,  but  as  traitors  and  apostates. 
They  were  classed  with  the  heathen,  and  with  harlots  and 
sinners.  So,  to  eat  and  drink  with  a  publican  seemed  to 
the  patriotic  and  zealous  Pharisee  incompatible  with  the 
character  of  a  Rabbi. 

As  Jesus  with  his  followers  passed  along  the  market- 
place near  the  shore,  he  saw  a  publican  named  Levi  or 
Matthew  sitting  at  the  place  of  toll.  This  was  a  tent  or 
booth  open  in  front  with  a  table  serving  as  a  counter  be- 
hind which  he  with  his  assistant  was  sitting.  Then  Jesus, 
looking  upon  him  intently,  said : 

"Follow  me."39 

Of  course  Matthew  knew  very  well  the  works  and 
character  of  the  Nazarene,  and  so  was  in  a  measure  pre- 
pared for  this  call.  Still  his  unhesitating  and  unreserving 
obedience  is  remarkable.  Instantly  he  arose,  forsook  all, 
and  followed.  He  must  now  be  added  as  a  fifth  to  the 
four  constant  companions  of  the  Master,  Peter  and  An- 
drew, James  and  John.  Philip  and  Nathaniel  have  not 
reappeared  since  the  return  from  Judea. 

This  call  was  a  momentous  event  for  Matthew.  It  re- 
leased him  from  the  base  service  of  Roman  excise,  to  be 
a  constant  associate  of  the  Lord,  soon  to  become  one  of 
the  elect  apostles,  and  eventually  to  write  an  evangelical 
biography  which  has  blessed  mankind,  and  made  him 
famous  forever.  On  the  other  hand  the  call  was  a 
momentous  event  in  the  life  of  Jesus  also.  It  was  cau- 
sally the  beginning  of  a  decline  in  his  popularity.  In 
the  Galilean  spring-time  this  had  grown  rapidly  and  flour- 
ished and  culminated.  All  eyes  throughout  the  region 
were  fixed  on  him  in  wonder  and  hope.     The  enthusiasm 


154  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

of  the  multitudes  was  boundless.  But  the  call  of  a  pub- 
lican to  be  his  intimate  associate  was  a  shock  and  a 
check.  Henceforth  there  is  a  piteous  descent  in  popular 
favor. 

At  the  time  of  the  call  Matthew  had  riches,  which  we 
may  be  sure  he  had  acquired  without  gross  dishonesty. 
On  the  next  day  he  gave  Jesus  a  great  feast  in  his  house, 
a  joyful  recognition  of  his  new  bond,  and  a  farewell  to 
his  friends,  and  to  his  all,  on  turning  to  a  life  of  poverty 
and  dependence.  At  this  feast  many  publicans  and  sin- 
ners were  guests,  and  reclined  on  the  festal  couches  along 
with  Jesus  and  his  disciples,  whereat  the  good  society  of 
Capernaum  was  greatly  scandalized.  For,  in  accordance 
with  oriental  custom,  many  uninvited  spectators  entered 
and  stood  around  about  the  hall,  overlooking  the  guests 
as  they  feasted.  Among  these  were  Pharisees  and  their 
Scribes.     These  murmured,  and  said  to  his  disciples  : 

"  Why  eateth  your  Master  with  publicans  and  sin- 
ners ?  " 

When  Jesus  heard  the  self-righteous  murmur,  he  an- 
swered with  divine  irony  that  gave  deep  offense : 

"  They  that  are  whole  have  no  need  of  a  physician,  but 
they  that  are  sick.  I  am  not  come  to  call  the  righteous, 
but  sinners  to  repentance." 

Some  disciples  of  John  the  baptizer  were  looking  on. 
Their  master  was  now  in  prison,  and  consequently  they 
were  fasting.     Seeing  the  feasting  they  asked  : 

"  Why  do  we  and  the  Pharisees  fast,  but  thy  disciples 
fast  not  ?  " 

Jesus,  mindful  of  the  prospective  bereavement  of  his 
own,  replied  : 

"  Can  the  sons  of  the  bride-chamber  mourn,  as  long  as 
the  bride-groom  is  with  them  ?     But  the  days  will  come 


THE  FIRST  TOUR  AND  ITS  SEQUEL     155 

when  the  bride-groom  shall  be  taken  away  from  them, 
and  then  they  will  fast." 

Here  is  the  first  faint  shadow  of  coming  events,  and 
the  first  allusion  to  his  union  with  his  church  as  a  bridal. 
To  illustrate  the  matter  further,  he  added  two  parabolic 
similitudes,  the  new  cloth  on  an  old  garment,  and  the  new 
wine  in  old  bottles,  which  in  homely  aptness  are  strik- 
ingly Socratic. 

While  he  was  yet  talking,  spicing  the  feast  with  wis- 
dom, Jairus,  one  of  the  rulers  of  the  Synagogue,  came 
into  the  banquet-room,  and  kneeling  down  at  the  foot  of 
the  couch  whereon  Jesus  lay,  besought  him,  saying : 

"  My  little  daughter  is  at  the  point  of  death.  Come 
and  lay  thy  hands  on  her  that  she  may  live."  40 

Of  course  Jairus  knew  of  the  healer.  Why  did  he 
delay  until  the  last  moment  ?  Perhaps  pride  of  office 
made  him  unwilling  to  condescend.  Perhaps  the  scandal 
about  consorting  with  publicans  and  sinners  had  already 
reached  his  ears.  But  his  little  daughter,  his  only  daugh- 
ter, a  child  of  twelve  years  of  age,  was  enshrined  in  his 
heart ;  and  at  last,  at  the  article  of  death,  the  haughty, 
aristocratic,  Jewish  ruler  gave  way,  and  the  loving  father, 
heedless  of  publicans  and  sinners,  heedless  of  scowling 
Scribes  and  Pharisees,  bowed  down  with  tears  and  sobs 
of  supplication  at  Jesus'  feet. 

The  interruption  did  not  offend  the  teacher.  His 
human  sympathies  were  stirred.  He  had  just  now 
spoken  of  himself  as  a  physician,  and  now  the  teacher 
gave  way  to  the  healer.  Instantly  he  arose,  forsook  all, 
and  followed.  Andrew  remained  to  represent  him  at 
Matthew's  feast ;  Peter,  James  and  John  accompanied 
him. 


156  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

As  they  were  going  through  the  streets  a  multitude 
thronged  him.  Then  a  woman  afflicted  with  a  desperate 
disease  came  in  the  crowd  behind,  and  touched  the  bor- 
der of  his  garment,  for  she  said  within  herself,  If  I  do  but 
touch  his  garment,  I  shall  be  made  whole.  And  imme- 
diately she  was  healed.  Jesus,  feeling  the  passing  of  his 
power,  turned  about  in  the  crowd,  and  said  : 

"  Who  touched  my  garments  ?  " 

When  all  denied,  Peter  said  : 

"  Master,  the  multitudes  press  thee,  and  sayest  thou, 
Who  touched  me  ?  " 

But  Jesus  insisted  : 

"  Some  one  did  touch  me  ;  for  I  perceived  that  power 
went  forth  from  me." 

And  he  looked  round  about  to  see  who  had  done  this 
thing.  Then  the  woman,  fearing  and  trembling,  came 
and  fell  down  before  him,  and  told  him  all.  But  Jesus, 
with  a  reassuring  smile  and  calling  her  Daughter,  the 
only  one  he  ever  thus  addressed,  kindly  said  unto 
her: 

"  Daughter,  be  of  good  cheer ;  thy  faith  hath  made 
thee  whole  ;  go  in  peace." 

Just  then  a  messenger  came  to  Jairus  from  his  home, 
saying : 

"  Thy  daughter  is  dead  ;  trouble  not  the  Master." 

But  Jesus  hearing  this,  and  seeing  the  father's  anxiety 
sink  to  despair,  promptly  said  to  him  : 

"  Fear  not ;  only  believe." 

When  they  reached  the  house  and  saw  the  flute- 
players,  which  oriental  custom  required  in  such  case,  and 
heard  the  crowd  bewailing  her  and  weeping  and  making 
a  tMmult,  Jesus  commanded  : 


THE  FIRST  TOUR  AND  ITS  SEQUEL     157 

"  Give  place.  Why  make  ye  a  tumult  and  weep  ? 
The  child  is  not  dead,  but  slcepeth." 

He  spake  rhetorically,  hinting  her  revival ;  but  they 
laughed  him  to  scorn,  knowing  that  literally  she  was 
dead.  But  he,  having  put  them  all  forth,  took  the  father 
and  mother  of  the  child,  and  his  three  disciples,  and  went 
with  them  into  the  chamber  of  death. 

Of  all  the  sad  scenes  in  this  world  of  sorrows  surely  one 
of  the  saddest  is  this  of  a  loving  father  and  mother  kneel- 
ing beside  the  couch  of  their  only  daughter,  a  little  girl  of 
twelve  years,  from  whom  the  breath  of  life  has  just  passed 
away.  That  the  old  should  in  their  ripeness  die,  is  in  the 
order  of  nature  ;  but  the  young  unfolding  flower,  why  ? 
The  mystery  of  death  is  doubled  as  one  gazes  on  a  life- 
less maiden,  and  asks  why  is  this  promise  and  perfection 
of  life  laid  low  and  sealed. 


He  who  hath  bent  him  o'er  the  dead, 

Ere  the  first  day  of  death  is  fled, 

The  first  dark  day  of  nothingness, 

The  last  of  danger  and  distress, 

Before  decay's  effacing  fingers 

Have  swept  the  lines  where  beauty  lingers, 

And  marked  the  mild  angelic  air, 

The  rapture  of  repose  that's  there, 

The  fixed  yet  tender  traits  that  streak 

The  languor  of  the  placid  cheek, 

And  but  for  that  sad  shrouded  eye, 

That  fires  not,  wins  not,  weeps  not  now, 

And  but  for  that  chill  changeless  brow, 

Whose  touch  thrills  with  mortality, 

Yes,  but  for  these,  and  these  alone, 

Some  moments,  aye,  one  treacherous  hour, 

He  still  might  doubt  the  tyrant's  power, 

So  fair,  so  calm,  so  softly  sealed 

The  first,  last  look  by  death  revealed. 


158  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

Hers  is  the  loveliness  in  death 

That  parts  not  quite  with  parting  breath  ; 

But  beauty  with  that  fearful  bloom, 

That  hue  that  haunts  it  to  the  tomb, 

Expression's  last  receding  ray, 

A  gilded  halo  hovering  round  decay." 

The  humane  pity  of  Jesus  was  moved.  Were  there 
not  tears  in  his  eyes  ?  He  took  the  little  pulseless  hand, 
hardly  cold  as  yet,  in  his  own,  and  said  tenderly,  in  his 
soft  mother-tongue : 

"  Talitha,  Kumi "  (Little  girl,  Arise). 

And  straightway  her  spirit  returned,  and  she  rose  up, 
and  was  folded  in  her  mother's  arms.  All  were  as- 
tonished and  stood  in  amaze,  except  one,  who  at  this 
supreme  moment,  with  unruffled  calm,  and  practical 
common  sense,  ordered  that  they  give  the  child  some- 
thing to  eat.  This  is  admirable ;  nothing  could  better 
mark  his  self-possession,  his  sublime  superiority,  than 
this  kindly  attention  to  a  simple  natural  need,  amid  the 
general  and  stupefying  consternation  over  a  supernatural 
resurrection.  Also  he  charged  them  much  that  no  man 
should  know  this.  Nevertheless  the  fame  thereof  went 
forth  into  all  the  land. 

This  notable  day  was  not  yet  done.  As  Jesus  was  re- 
turning home  apparently  alone,  two  blind  men  followed 
him,  crying : 

"  Have  mercy  on  us  thou  son  of  David." 

Notwithstanding  this  messianic  recognition,  he  passed 
quietly  into  the  house ;  but  the  blind  men  came  in  unto 
him,  and  he  said  to  them  : 

"  Believe  ye  that  I  am  able  to  do  this  ?  " 

They  replied : 


THE  FIRST  TOUR  AND  ITS  SEQUEL     159 

"  Yea,  Lord." 

Then  touched  he  their  eyes,  saying : 

"  According  to  your  faith  be  it  done  unto  you." 

And  their  eyes  were  opened.     And  he  charged  them : 

"  See  that  no  man  know  it." 

Evidently  he  wished  to  avoid  an  increase  of  the 
notoriety  that  was  already  embarrassing.  But  they  went 
forth,  ahd  spread  abroad  the  matter. 

As  they  were  going  out  others  brought  in  to  him  a 
dumb  demoniac.  He  exorcised  the  demon,  and  the 
dumb  man  spake.  When  this  too  was  made  known 
abroad,  the  people  marvelled,  saying: 

"  It  was  never  so  seen  in  Israel." 

But  the  offended  Pharisees  said  : 

"  By  the  prince  of  the  demons  casteth  he  out 
demons." 

This  bitter,  insulting  sneer,  here  first  appearing,  marks 
the  beginning  among  men  of  organized,  malignant  hos- 
tility to  the  teacher,  the  healer,  the  redeemer  and  king. 

The  foregoing  series  of  miracles,  including  a  recall 
from  death  to  life,  gives  occasion  to  remark  the  amazing 
incredulity  of  many  eye-witnesses  of  the  wonderful 
works  of  the  Nazarene.  The  facts  themselves  were  not 
doubted  by  the  observers,  and  their  supernatural  charac- 
ter was  generally  recognized ;  to  question  either  was  re- 
served for  a  later  age.  But  the  character  and  claims  of 
the  wonder-maker  were  disparaged  and  discredited.  It  is 
amazing.  We  must,  however,  recollect  that  in  those 
days,  and  especially  in  the  East,  necromancers,  exor- 
cists, magicians,  sorcerers,  whose  works  were  commonly 
accredited  as  supernatural  by  the  superstitious  people, 
abounded.     Witness    Simon    Magus,   Elymas,   and   the 


160  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

sons  of  Sceva,  in  sacred  history ;  also  Empedocles,  Apol- 
lonius  of  Tyana,  and  a  hundred  others  of  less  note, 
in  secular  history.  Because  of  this  wide-spread  and 
deep-rooted  superstition,  and  the  familiarity  with  suc- 
cessful impostures,  such  as  were  habitually  practiced  in 
the  heathen  temples,  the  people  at  large  probably  re- 
garded Jesus  as  an  especially  skillful  magician  in  league 
with  supernatural  powers,  but  did  not  otherwise  dis- 
tinguish him.  Hence  they  were  ready  to  accept  the 
pharisaic  dictum,  By  the  prince  of  demons  casteth  he  out 
demons. 


xn 

THE  EXCURSION  AND  RETURN 

AFTER  these  things  there  was  a  feast  of  the  Jews, 
and  Jesus  with  his  five  chosen  companions  went 
up  to  Jerusalem.  It  cannot  be  said  with  certainty 
that  this  was  the  pascal  feast,  but  the  reasons  in  favor  of 
that  view  are  very  weighty  making  it  most  probable ;  hence 
it  is  here  adopted.  This  Passover  fell  on  the  last  days  of 
March,  in  the  year  28. 

On  Saturday,  the  Sabbath  of  the  feast,  Jesus  walked 
out  alone  to  the  pool  of  Bethesda,  house  of  mercy,  out- 
side the  Sheep-gate  in  the  city  wall,  north  of  the  Temple. 
The  pool  was  surrounded  by  porches  in  which  were  lying 
many  sick  waiting  for  the  movement  of  the  water.  For 
the  pool  was  fed  by  an  intermittent  spring,  and  was 
stirred  by  its  flow  once  or  twice  a  day ;  and  the  people 
fancied  that  an  angel  went  down  at  those  times,  and 
troubled  the  water,  giving  it  power  to  heal  whomsoever 
then  first  stepped  in. 41 

Among  those  who  were  waiting  was  an  impotent  man 
who  had  suffered  from  an  infirmity,  a  consequence  of 
sin,  for  thirty-eight  years,  just  as  long  as  his  fathers  had 
wandered  in  the  Wilderness.  He  had,  however,  no 
friend  to  help  him  reach  the  healing  waters.  When 
Jesus  saw  him,  he  pitied  him,  and  said  to  him : 

"  Wouldst  thou  be  made  whole  ?  " 

The  sick  man  replied  courteously  to  the  sympathizing 
stranger : 

161 


162  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

"  Sir,  I  have  no  man,  when  the  water  is  troubled,  to  put 
me  into  the  pool ;  but  while  I  am  coming  another  step- 
peth  down  before  me." 

This  he  said  hoping  that  the  stranger  would  help  him 
into  the  water.     But  Jesus  said  : 

"  Arise,  take  up  thy  bed  and  walk." 

Straightway  the  man  was  made  whole,  arose,  folded 
his  pallet,  threw  it  upon  his  shoulder,  and  having  lost 
sight  of  the  stranger  in  the  crowd,  went  his  way  to  the 
city. 

As  he  went  he  met  with  certain  zealous  Jews  who  said 
to  him  censoriously  : 

"  It  is  the  Sabbath,  and  it  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to  carry 
thy  bed." 

Jeremiah  indeed  had  declared,  Thus  saith  the  Lord, 
Take  heed  to  yourselves,  and  bear  no  burden  on  the  Sab- 
bath day,  nor  bring  it  in  by  the  gates  of  Jerusalem. 
There,  then,  was  a  literal  infraction  of  this  command. 

The  Jews  at  this  time  had  many  stringent  rules  for  the 
Sabbath.  One  of  these  forbade  even  a  blind  man  to  carry 
a  staff  on  that  day,  for  to  do  so  would  be  bearing  a  bur- 
den. A  man  might  not  wear  a  sandal  with  nails  in  it, 
for  that  would  be  bearing  burdens.  One  might  not  carry 
a  handkerchief,  unless  indeed  he  pinned  it  to  his  robe, 
thus  making  it  a  part  of  his  dress.  One  might  not  light 
a  fire,  or  snuff  a  candle,  for  that  would  be  work.  A  Jew 
might  employ  a  gentile  servant  to  do  domestic  work 
on  the  Sabbath,  but  must  himself  refrain ;  yet  he  might 
indulge  in  hilarious  amusements  and  feasting.  In  ex- 
treme cases  of  Sabbath-breaking  the  punishment  was 
death. 

The  man  on  being  reproached  with  violating  the  law 
was  alarmed,  knowing  the   possible  consequences.     At 


THE  EXCURSION  AND  RETURN         163 

once  he  meanly  sought  to  shift  the  responsibility  on  to 
his  healer,  and  answered : 

"  He  that  made  me  whole,  the  same  said  unto  me,  Take 
up  thy  bed  and  walk." 

The  Jews  were  so  very  zealous  of  the  law  that  they 
disregarded  the  cure,  and  asked  : 

"  Who  is  he  that  said  unto  thee,  take  up  thy  bed  and 
walk  ?  " 

But  the  man  wist  not  who  it  was  ;  for  Jesus,  as  soon  as 
the  healing  word  was  spoken,  had  conveyed  himself 
away,  a  multitude  being  in  the  place. 

In  our  special  study  of  the  human  personality  of  the 
Nazarene,  we  should  not  overlook  the  fact  that  he  dis- 
liked a  crowd.  Already  we  have  had  a  number  of  in- 
stances where  he  sought  to  escape  from  the  multitudes 
pressing  upon  him,  and  others  will  occur.  And  indeed 
what  is  more  offensive  to  a  delicate  sensibility  than  to  be 
jostled  and  hustled  in  a  mass  of  vulgar  people  disagree- 
ably assailing  one's  eyes,  ears,  and  nostrils,  breathing  each 
other's  breath,  and  violating  one's  proper  isolation  by 
unavoidable  contacts  and  rough  pressures.  All  this  to  a 
refined  gentleman,  such  as  was  Jesus,  is  extremely  dis- 
tasteful, and  is  avoided  when  possible.  According  to  the 
history  Jesus  was  no  demagogue.  Even  when  there 
was  not  a  crush,  yet  a  body  of  humanity  reducing  indi- 
viduality to  a  mass,  such  occasion  was  apparently  less  ac- 
ceptable to  the  teacher  than  a  small  group  of  distinguish- 
able individuals,  or  a  single  pupil.  Witness  his  revela- 
tions to  Nicodemus,  to  the  Samaritan  woman,  and  subse- 
quently to  Martha  of  Bethany,  and  others.  How  often 
too,  yet  oft  in  vain,  did  he  seek  at  times  to  be  apart, 
alone,  which  to  every  reflecting  mind  is  a  spiritual  neces- 
sity.    On  the    particular  occasion  now    before    us,  it  is 


164  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

therefore  quite  in  character  that  Jesus  conveyed  himself 
away,  a  multitude  being  in  the  place. 

Some  days  afterwards  Jesus  met  in  the  Temple  the  man 
he  had  cured,  and  as  a  kindly  admonition  said  to  him : 

"  Behold  thou  art  made  whole ;  sin  no  more  lest  a 
worse  thing  befall  thee." 

Without  a  word  of  grateful  acknowledgment  the 
man  went  directly  to  the  Jews  who  busied  themselves  in 
the  matter,  and  vilely  purchased  impunity  for  himself  by 
becoming  informer  on  his  benefactor.  'Tis  well  his 
name  was  left  to  perish.  He  told  them  that  it  was  the 
Nazarene  who  had  made  him  whole.  Therefore  did  the 
Jews  prosecute,  idiwkov,  Jesus,  they  brought  an  action  at 
law  against  him,  before  the  Sanhedrin,  then,  as  usual 
during  the  Passover,  in  session  within  the  Temple  pre- 
cinct0. The  incident  thus  far  is  narrated  especially  as  a 
motive  for  what  follows. 

The  court  of  the  Sanhedrin  had  been  stripped  of  its 
political  functions  by  the  Roman  power,  but  was  allowed 
to  retain  jurisdiction  over  the  Jews  in  matters  pertaining 
to  their  religion,  about  which  the  Romans  cared  little. 
It  administered  among  others  the  laws  concerning  Sab- 
bath-breaking and  blasphemy.  Jealous  of  its  remnant 
of  authority  the  court  was  disposed  to  be  severe,  but 
was  restrained  from  executing  the  death  penalty,  this 
being  reserved  to  the  Roman  courts. 

It  will  be  remembered  that,  just  one  year  ago,  the 
Nazarene,  as  they  called  him,  had  deeply  offended  this 
Jewish  senate  by  the  purgation  of  the  Temple.  Now  he 
reappears  at  this  second  Passover,  and  gives  new  offense. 
The  still  glowing  hostility  is  fanned  into  a  flame.  An 
indictment  is  speedily  prepared  containing  two  counts, 


THE  EXCURSION  AND  RETURN         165 

the  work  of  healing  on  the  Sabbath,  and  the  inducing 
another  to  bear  a  burden  on  the  Sabbath.  Then  the 
Nazarene  is  summoned  to  answer  to  these  things. 

The  Sanhedrin  is  holding  its  session  in  the  large  semi- 
circular hall  Gazith.  Its  seventy  members  in  their  robes 
of  state  are  seated  on  the  platform  opposite  the  main 
entrance.  We  know  some  of  them.  Yonder  in  the 
middle  sits  the  high  priest  Caiaphas,  ex-officio  president 
of  the  senate,  resplendent  in  his  rich  robe  and  tiara,  and 
haughty  in  his  bearing  and  speech.  On  his  right  is 
Annas,  his  father-in-law,  the  deposed  high  priest,  an  old 
gray-beard  of  sneering  lip  and  evil  eye.  A  little  re- 
moved with  anxious  brow  is  Nicodemus,  at  once  a 
member  and  the  secretary  of  the  senate.  Near  him  is 
Joseph  of  Arimathea,  likewise  anxious.  And  yonder 
with  thoughtful  mien  is  Gamaliel,  the  teacher  of  Saul 
who,  having  finished  his  studies,  has  returned  home  to 
Tarsus,  a  Pharisee  of  the  Pharisees.  The  galleries  and 
floor  of  the  hall,  save  within  the  bar  are  crowded  with 
men,  curious  spectators.  Many  are  Galileans  come  to 
the  Passover,  among  whom  are  the  five  disciples  with 
their  young  master,  he  under  arrest.42 

The  case  of  the  Nazarene  is  called.  Jesus  steps  within 
the  bar  to  the  centre  of  the  semicircle  of  judges,  and 
confronts  Caiaphas.  He  stands  firmly  erect,  in  the  simple 
garb  of  a  Galilean  peasant,  his  head  bare,  his  golden  hair 
tossed  back,  his  flashing  eyes  defiantly  sweeping  the 
senate,  then  fixing  on  its  president.  The  indictment  is 
read  by  Nicodemus  with  unsteady  voice.  Then  Caia- 
phas proceeds,  in  accordance  with  the  form  of  Roman 
law,  to  question  the  accused  of  working  on  the  Sabbath. 

"  You  have  heard  the  charge.     What  say  you  ?  " 

The  answer  comes  clear  and  ringing  : 


166  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

"  My  Father  worketh  even  until  now,  and  I  work." 

This  is  a  full  defiant  confession,  and  an  assertion  of 
his  intention  to  persist.  Moreover  he  justifies  his  course 
by  the  example  of  God  his  Father.  Caiaphas  was  in- 
dignant and  ready  to  rend  his  robe  in  holy  horror. 
That  the  Nazarene  claimed  God  as  his  own  Father, 
making  himself  equal  with  God,  was,  in  the  ears  of  his 
judges,  blasphemy.  So  they  sought  the  more  to  kill  him 
by  adding  this  charge  to  the  other. 

In  what  follows  in  the  gospel  history  we  have  probably 
only  an  epitome  of  what  was  said  by  Jesus  on  the  occa- 
sion of  this  his  first  arraignment  before  the  Sanhedrin, 
the  official  representative  of  the  Jewish  nation.  The 
questions  of  his  judges,  their  reiterated  charges  and 
taunts,  are  wholly  omitted,  but  by  the  breaks  in  the  dis- 
course, one  can  see  pretty  well  where  they  came  in,  and 
reading  between  the  lines,  fairly  apprehend  their  purport. 

Jesus  did  not  explain  away  his  words  but  enlarged  and 
enforced  them,  claiming,  now  first  publicly,  to  be  the  Son 
of  God.  He  did  not  at  this  time  specifically  claim  to 
be  the  Messiah ;  for,  since  Messiah  was  expected  to  be 
king,  that  would  have  involved  political  consequences, 
and  collision  with  the  Roman  governor,  Pilate,  then 
in  Jerusalem.  But  as  the  Son  of  God  he  claimed  to  be 
the  judge  of  his  judges,  of  all  the  earth,  of  all  living 
men,  and  of  the  dead  who  at  his  voice  should  come  from 
their  tombs  to  his  judgment.  He  then  proceeds  to  ar- 
raign the  Sanhedrin,  pronounces  judgment  on  his  judges, 
and  denounces  their  hypocrisy  and  worldliness,  and  their 
rejection  of  himself  as  the  ambassador  of  heaven. 

Overwhelmed  by  this  avalanche  of  denunciation,  over- 
awed by  the  majestic  assumption  of  authority,  and  con- 
science-stricken   under  the  scathing  condemnation,  the 


THE  EXCURSION  AND  RETURN         167 

subverted  court  was  paralyzed,  and  the  disconcerted 
Sanhedrists  put  to  open  shame.  Caiaphas  himself  was 
enraged,  bold  and  vindictive ;  but  in  distrust  of  his  in- 
timidated confederates  he  would  not  risk  a  vote,  and 
seeing  the  threatening  frowns  of  the  rough  Galilean 
highlanders  who  had  gathered  in  force,  he  prudently 
dismissed  the  case,  and  adjourned  the  court. 

The  proud  Sanhedrists  felt  themselves  defied.  It  was 
a  question  of  power.  The  Sabbath  law  was  one  of  the 
few  laws  that  the  Romans  had  left  to  their  jurisdiction, 
and  was  perhaps  the  stronghold  of  their  influence  with 
the  people.  It  must  be  maintained.  But  they  dared  not 
press  the  prosecution  of  the  Nazarene  in  the  presence  of 
the  multitude  attending  the  Passover,  with  whom  he  was 
very  popular.  Especially  his  Galilean  compatriots,  ani- 
mated by  sectional  pride  and  jealousy,  formed  uncon- 
sciously a  bodyguard  about  him.  For  the  ready  turbu- 
lence of  the  people  was  well  known  to  the  rulers,  violent 
riots  having  occurred  frequently  in  the  Temple  itself. 
This  knowledge  had  deterred  their  action  at  the  previous 
Passover,  and  now  at  this  second  Passover  they  were 
again  intimidated  by  the  dread  of  a  mob.  Evidently  if 
they  would  compass  their  end,  his  favor  with  the  popu- 
lace must  be  turned  to  disfavor.  In  this  purpose  they 
engaged  certain  Pharisees  from  Galilee  to  dog  his  foot- 
steps and  spy  out  ground  for  new  accusation,  but  above 
all  by  every  means  to  bring  him  into  discredit  with  the 
people  at  large. 

Evidently  it  would  be  unwise  for  Jesus,  with  the  Temple 
party  mortified,  enraged  and  seeking  his  life,  to  linger  in 
Jerusalem  or  Judea.  Therefore,  with  very  little  delay  he 
set  out  for  home. 


168  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

The  next  Sabbath,  early  in  April,  as  Jesus  and  his 
company  were  journeying  in  Peraea  northward,  they 
came  to  a  field  of  ripe  wheat.  In  passing  through  it,  the 
disciples,  being  hungry,  plucked  some  ears  of  the  wheat, 
and  rubbing  off  the  husks  in  their  hands,  ate  the  grain. 
They  were  justified  in  doing  so  by  the  law  in  Deuter- 
onomy 23  :  25  ;  yet  the  resort  to  such  means  of  suste- 
nance indicates  poor  and  hard  living.  The  spying  Phari- 
sees, who  were  in  the  company,  called  the  attention  of 
the  Master  to  their  act,  saying  : 

"  Behold  thy  disciples  do  that  which  is  not  lawful  to 
do  upon  the  Sabbath."  ^ 

This  referred  to  the  oral  law,  claimed  as  a  tradition 
from  Moses  to  supplement  the  written  law.  One  of  its 
requisites  was  that  on  the  Sabbath  day  a  man  must  not 
tread  upon  grass,  for  in  doing  so  he  might  crush  a  seed 
out  of  its  husk,  which  would  be  threshing,  and  threshing 
is  work.  Hence,  on  the  Sabbath,  keep  off  the  grass.  So 
a  man  might  pluck  and  eat  the  ears  of  corn,  as  permitted 
by  the  law  referred  to  above,  at  other  times,  but  not  on 
the  Sabbath  day. 

On  hearing  the  charge  of  Sabbath-breaking,  the  dis- 
ciples shrank  back  in  alarm  ;  for  how  could  they  hope  to 
withstand  this  Sanhedrin.  But  Jesus,  offended  by  the 
microscopic  cavil,  promptly  came  to  the  defense  of  his 
humble  friends,  saying  : 

"  David  was  your  prophet  and  king  ;  was  it  a  sacrilege 
to  him  to  eat  the  shewbread  ?  Do  not  the  priests  work 
about  the  altar  on  the  Sabbath  day  ?  Perhaps  ye  will 
say  the  Temple  sanctifies  their  work.  But  I  say  unto 
you  that  one  greater  than  the  Temple  is  here,  one  who 
is  prophet,  high-priest,  and  king  ;  so  that  the  son  of  man 
is  Lord  even  of  the  Sabbath.     If  ye  had  known  what  this 


THE  EXCURSION  AND  RETURN         169 

meaneth,  I  desire  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice,  ye  would  not 
have  condemned  these  guiltless  men.  For  the  Sabbath 
was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the  Sabbath." 

Nearly  nineteen  centuries  have  passed,  and  yet  not 
even  Christendom  has  fully  apprehended  and  practically 
applied  the  principle  contained  in  these  wise  words. 
They  teach  a  lesson  hard  to  learn,  that  all  law  is  for 
service,  not  for  mastery,  that  kings  and  rulers  are  merely 
ministers,  that  government  is  for  freeing  and  uplifting,  and 
not  for  subjecting,  the  people. 

The  next  following  Sabbath  found  Jesus  tarrying  in 
some  town  of  lower  Galilee.  As  usual,  he  went  to  the 
synagogue,  and  taught.  The  spies  were  there,  watchful 
that  they  might  find  an  accusation  against  him.  They 
laid  a  trap.  They  called  his  attention  to  a  man  there 
having  a  withered  hand,  by  asking  : 

"  Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on  the  Sabbath  day  ?  " 44 
They  knew  very  well,  from  recent  events  at  Jerusalem, 
what  his  answer  would  be,  and  they  hoped  that  now, 
amid  other  surroundings  and  other  people,  he  would  so 
speak  and  act  as  to  impair  his  good  repute,  and  give 
ground  to  accuse  him  here  in  Galilee  within  Herod's  ju- 
risdiction.    Jesus  knew  their  intent,  and  said  to  the  man  : 
"  Rise  up,  and  stand  forth  in  the  midst." 
He  did  so.     Then  Jesus  replied  by  the  counter  question  : 
"  I  ask  you,  Is  it  lawful  on  the  Sabbath  day  to  do 
good,  or  to  do  harm  ?  to  save  life  or  to  destroy  it  ?  " 

This  implies  two  important  ethical  principles.  First, 
actions  are  either  good  or  evil ;  there  are  no  indifferent 
actions.  Second,  to  neglect  an  opportunity  of  doing 
good  is  not  a  mere  negative  ;  the  sin  of  omission  is  pos- 
itive, it  is  to  do  wrong.     Jesus  asked  moreover  : 


i;o  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

"  Doth  not  even  your  pharisaic  law  permit  one  to  pull 
a  sheep  out  of  a  pit  on  the  Sabbath  day  ?  And  is  not  a 
man  better  than  a  sheep  ?  " 

He  condescended  to  argue  with  them.  To  his  logic  a 
fortiori,  they  made  no  reply.  In  reason  there  was  none. 
During  the  silence  that  followed,  Jesus  became  angry, 
and  as  he  looked  around  on  them  a  fire  of  indignation 
flamed  from  his  eyes.  That  these  sinister  men  thought 
to  prohibit  the  relief  of  a  sufferer,  grieved  and  angered 
him.  In  the  next  moment  he  turned  to  the  trembling 
and  helpless  man,  and  with  an  encouraging  smile  of 
sympathy,  said  kindly : 

"  Stretch  forth  thy  hand." 

He  did  so,  and  immediately  it  was  made  whole. 

Let  it  be  remarked  that  psychologically  no  voluntary 
effort  can  be  made,  unless  the  agent  first  conceive  that 
perhaps  its  realization  is  possible ;  as,  no  sane  man  can 
try  to  fly.  So  the  man  of  the  withered  hand  could  not 
have  made  even  an  incipient  effort  to  stretch  it  forth,  un- 
less he  had  at  least  some  little  belief  that  perhaps  it  was 
possible  to  obey  the  command.'  Even  this  small  degree 
of  faith  in  Jesus  was  enough  to  condition  his  cure. 

The  generous  people  hearing  the  argument  and 
witnessing  the  miracle,  gave  glory  to  God ;  and  Jesus, 
instead  of  being  discredited,  was  exalted  in  their  eyes. 
The  Pharisees,  seeing  their  plan  brought  to  naught,  were 
filled  with  madness.  They  went  out  and  straightway 
took  counsel  with  the  Herodians  against  him,  how  they 
might  destroy  him. 

The  Herodians  were  a  patriotic  political  party  which 
sought  to  maintain  and  promote  the  power  of  the 
Herodian  family  in  order  to  preserve  its  national  ex- 
istence  in   opposition   to   Roman  encroachment.     They 


THE  EXCURSION  AND  RETURN         171 

were  of  course  influential  in  the  court  of  Herod  Antipas 
at  Tiberias.  As  Jesus  was  now  in  the  realm  of  Herod, 
the  detectives  from  Jerusalem,  wishing  to  compass  his 
arrest  and  imprisonment  along  with  John,  sought  the  aid 
of  these  partisans  and  courtiers.  But  in  this  also  they 
failed  of  course ;  for  politicians  are  ever  wary  of  stem- 
ming an  incoming  tide  of  popular  favor. 

In  connection  with  the  three  preceding  events,  the 
healing  the  impotent  man  at  Jerusalem,  the  eating  the 
wheat  in  Persea,  and  the  healing  the  withered  hand 
in  Galilee,  we  find  especially  indicated  the  teaching 
of  Jesus  relative  to  Sabbath  day  observance.  On  these 
and  on  other  occasions  he  utterly  disregarded  the  preva- 
lent doctrine,  and  indeed  he  openly  and  pointedly 
violated  again  and  again  the  traditions  and  the  teaching 
of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  so  that  they  might  fairly 
consider  him  the  most  defiant,  persistent  and  intentional 
Sabbath-breaker  known  in  their  history.  He  was  the 
champion  of  human  freedom.  Yet  after  the  lapse  of 
centuries,  men  are  still  encumbered  with  the  fragments 
of  the  fetters  he  shattered. 

Very  soon  it  was  noised  abroad  that  the  healer  had  re- 
turned into  Galilee,  and  a  great  multitude  flocked  to 
him,  not  only  from  Galilee,  but  from  all  the  surrounding 
regions.  Jesus  with  his  vast  and  increasing  following, 
went  northward  to  a  station  near  the  lake,  somewhere  be- 
tween Tiberias  and  Capernaum.  He  was  now  safe  from 
the  machinations  of  his  enemies,  because  of  the  enthusi- 
astic multitude.  He  healed  many,  insomuch  that  those 
who  had  plagues  pressed  upon  him  that  they  might 
touch  him.    The  demoniacs  fell  down  before  him,  crying, 


172  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

Thou  art  the  son  of  God ;  but  he  silenced  them.  He 
healed  all.  But  so  great  was  the  assembling  multitude 
that  he  spake  to  his  disciples  that  a  little  boat  should 
wait  on  him,  because  of  the  crowds,  lest  they  should 
throng  him.45 

It  is  highly  probable  at  this  time  he  restored  Mary 
Magdalene,  who  was  afflicted  with  seven  demons.  The 
scene  was  near  the  coast-town  Magdala,  from  which  her 
surname  seems  to  be  derived.  This  Mary  of  Magdala 
became  one  of  the  attendants  of  Jesus,  and  her  pure  yet 
passionate  love  of  him  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  traits 
of  the  subsequent  story. 

In  the  evening  when  it  was  growing  dusk,  Jesus 
stepped  ashore,  and  went  up  into  a  mountain,  or  rather  a 
hill,  within  sight  of  the  lake,  to  spend  the  night.  The 
hill,  now  called  the  hill  of  Hattin,  from  a  little  village  at 
its  foot,  rises  a  considerable  height  above  the  plain  to  a 
level  and  tolerably  large  plateau,  on  which  stand  two 
peaks  called  the  Horns  of  Hattin.  Probably  the  disciples 
and  many  of  the  multitude  bivouacked  on  the  plateau. 
But  Jesus  went  up  alone  into  one  of  the  peaks,  and  there 
he  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  God.46 

Early  in  the  morning,  the  morning  of  a  great  day,  he 
called  his  disciples  to  him,  and  chose  twelve,  the  number 
of  the  Israelitish  tribes.  Them  he  ordained  to  be  minis- 
ters and  apostles  or  missionaries,  for  he  would  send  them 
out  to  teach,  to  preach,  and  to  heal.  The  work  was  ac- 
cumulating so  that  he  needed  assistance.  The  twelve 
were  the  brothers  Andrew  and  Simon  Peter,  the  brothers 
James  and  John,  and  the  friends  Philip  and  Nathaniel  or 
Bartholomew,  who  now  reappear ;  to  these  add  Matthew, 
also  already  known  to  us,  and  Thomas ;  then  James  the 


THE  EXCURSION  AND  RETURN         173 

son  of  Alpheus,  and  Judas  or  Thaddeus  his  brother ;  then 
Simon  the  zealot,  and  lastly,  Judas  Iscariot.  The  latter 
five  are  heretofore  unknown  to  us.  James  and  John,  the 
sons  of  Zebedee  and  Salome  a  sister  of  the  virgin  Mary, 
were  first  cousins  to  Jesus.  James  the  less  and  Judas  or 
Jude  or  Thaddeus,  and  perhaps  Simon  the  zealot,  were 
sons  of  Alpheus  or  Clopas,  probably  a  brother  of  Joseph, 
the  husband  of  the  virgin,  and  thus  were  reputed  cousins 
to  Jesus.  All  were  Galileans,  except  Judas  Iscariot  who 
probably  was  a  Judean.  All  were  young  men  and 
earnest  men,  and  five  of  them,  we  happen  to  know,  were 
busy  men,  who  might  have  excused  themselves,  saying, 
We  have  not  time.  But  just  that  sort  of  men  Jesus 
preferred. 

The  selection  and  ordination  finished,  Jesus  came 
down  from  the  peak  to  the  multitude  on  the  elevated 
plateau.  Finding  a  rock  suitable  for  a  pulpit,  he 
mounted  it,  and  sat  down,  the  usual  attitude  of  Jewish 
teachers.  His  disciples  gathered  close  around  about 
him,  and  he  opened  his  mouth  and  taught  them.47 

Then  follows  the  most  wonderful  discourse  ever 
listened  to  by  man,  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  Atten- 
tion is  arrested  at  the  outset  by  an  octave  of  paradoxes, 
and  at  every  onward  step  thought  is  startled  by  authori- 
tative statements  of  truths  new  and  profound,  many 
in  sharp  conflict  with  doctrines  then  current,  but  all 
in  deep  spiritual  accord  with  the  Law  and  the  Prophets. 
The  opening  beatitudes,  the  closing  foundations,  and 
several  intermediate  passages,  flow  in  the  forms  of 
Hebrew  poetry,  and  the  passage,  "  Consider  the  lilies," 
with  its  enthusiastic  praise,  revealing  a  passionate  love  of 
flowers,  is  unsurpassed  in  rhetorical  beauty.     No  other 


174  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

oration  has  influenced  so  deeply  the  course  of  human 
history,  civil,  social,  religious.  Fifteen  centuries  prior  to 
it,  the  Law,  a  ministration  of  death,  was  announced 
by  Moses  to  the  twelve  Elders  and  the  trembling  people, 
amid  the  thunders,  clouds  and  darkness  of  Mount  Sinai. 
Thus  opened  the  old  Mosaic  dispensation.  Here  the 
Gospel,  a  ministration  of  life,  is  announced  by  Jesus  to 
the  twelve  Apostles  and  the  joyful  people,  under  the 
calm  blue  skies  of  Galilee,  on  the  sunlit  Mount  of  Beati- 
tudes. Thus  opens  the  new  Christian  dispensation.  For 
the  law  was  given  by  Moses,  but  grace  and  truth  came 
by  Jesus  Christ. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  Jesus  walked  with 
the  twelve  some  six  or  seven  miles  northward  to  Caper- 
naum his  home.  On  entering  the  city,  he  was  met  by 
the  elders  of  the  Synagogue,  led  probably  by  Jairus  its 
ruler.  They  were  bearers  of  a  request  from  the  wealthy 
centurion  in  command  of  the  Roman  garrison  of  Caper- 
naum, that  Jesus  would  heal  a  boy  about  to  die,  a  slave 
of  the  centurion  and  very  dear  to  him.  The  elders  ear- 
nestly urged  the  request  on  Jesus,  appealing  to  his  patri- 
otism and  saying : 

"  He  is  worthy  that  thou  shouldst  do  this  for  him  ; 
for  he  loveth  our  nation,  and  himself  built  us  our 
Synagogue."  ^ 

This  was  doubtless  the  great  central  marble  Syna- 
gogue, where  Jesus  taught,  and  whose  remains  have 
lately  been  discovered  at  Tell-Hum. 

The  reply  of  Jesus  is  prompt,  and  businesslike : 

"  I  will  come  and  heal  him." 

When  he  was  near  the  house,  the  centurion  sent  other 
friends,  with  the  message  : 


THE  EXCURSION  AND  RETURN         175 

"  Lord,  trouble  not  thyself;  for  I  am  not  worthy  that 
thou  shouldst  come  under  my  roof;  wherefore  neither 
thought  I  myself  worthy  to  come  unto  thee  ;  but  say  the 
word  and  my  boy  shall  be  healed." 

He  added  that  he  was  familiar  with  the  obedience  of 
soldiers  and  slaves,  and  quite  confident  that  the  powers 
of  healing  would  likewise  obey  their  master's  word. 
Doubtless  he  knew  of  the  healing  of  the  courtier's  son, 
five  months  before,  at  Capernaum  by  a  word  spoken  at 
Cana;  and  also  of  the  raising  of  the  little  daughter  of 
Jairus.  His  beautiful  humility  and  confidence  gave  Jesus 
a  thrill  of  pleasure.  He  marvelled,  and  notwithstanding 
he  knew  the  man  to  be  both  a  soldier  and  slave-holder, 
he  turned  and  said  to  the  multitude  following  him : 

"  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  have  not  found  so  great 
faith,  no,  not  in  Israel." 

He  further  spoke  of  it  as  a  token  of  the  incoming  of 
the  Gentiles.     Then  said  he  to  the  messengers : 

"  Go  and  tell  him,  As  thou  hast  believed  so  be  it  done 
unto  thee." 

And  they,  returning  to  the  house,  found  the  slave  boy 
perfectly  healed. 

The  hour  was  now  late.  Jesus  was  tired  and  needed 
rest.  The  stir  and  the  work  of  the  last  two  days,  with 
the  vigil  of  the  intervening  night,  had  wearied  him.  He 
turned  and  sought  his  home,  from  which  he  had  been 
absent  for  nearly  a  month.  We  may  imagine  the  pleas- 
ant greetings,  the  questions  asked  and  kindly  answered, 
the  simple  supper  of  bread  and  wine,  then  Jesus  retiring 
to  rest  in  the  little  dormitory  reserved  for  him,  and 
sleeping. 

So  closes  this  notable  day. 


XIII 
THE  SECOND  TOUR  BEGUN 

IT  is  quite  probable  that  the  pharisaic  spies,  after 
conspiring  with  the  Herodians,  had  gone  to  Caper- 
naum, and  were  lying  in  wait  for  Jesus.  He,  hearing 
of  their  presence,  and  wishing  to  avoid  conflict  with 
them,  resolved  at  once  to  leave  home,  and  enter  upon  a 
second  tour  of  Galilee.  Accordingly,  early  the  next 
morning,  he  summoned  the  twelve  and  departed.  To 
evade  a  following,  they  took  boats  on  the  lake,  and  sailed 
nearly  to  its  southern  end,  and  thence  walked  some 
twelve  miles  to  Nain. 

Nain,  now  a  hamlet  on  the  northwestern  slope  of  little 
Hermon,  was  then  a  considerable  town.  It  is  approached 
from  the  east  by  a  narrow  road  winding  around  the  north 
side  of  the  mount.  Not  far  from  the  hamlet  are  still  to 
be  seen  holes  in  the  rock  of  the  steep  roadside,  the 
ancient  deposits  for  the  dead.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  between  these  tombs  and  the  hamlet  is  the  very  spot 
where  the  following  event  took  place.49 

As  Jesus,  with  his  disciples  and  a  multitude  which 
soon  gathered,  came  near  the  town,  he  was  met  by  a 
funeral  train.  Death  had  entered  the  town  before  him, 
and  had  struck  its  heaviest  blow.  On  the  bier  lay  his 
trophy,  a  young  man,  the  only  child  of  his  mother,  and 
she  was  a  widow.  Jesus  also  was  a  young  man,  the  only 
child  of  his  mother,  and  she  was  a  widow.     And  both 

176 


THE  SECOND  TOUR  BEGUN  177 

shall  rise  from  the  dead.  For  Jesus,  moved  with  com- 
passion, said  tenderly  to  the  weeping  mother : 

"  Do  not  weep." 

Then  he  laid  his  hand  upon  the  bier,  and  pronounced 
that  great  word  which  already  had  awakened  a  little  girl 
from  death's  slumber,  saying : 

"  Young  man,  Arise." 

And  he  that  was  dead  sat  up,  and  began  to  speak. 
And  he  gave  him  to  his  mother.  There  was  great 
wonder,  and  great  joy ;  and  that  which  came  out  as  a 
funeral  train,  returned  as  a  festive  procession. 

"  That  afternoon  in  Spring, 
The  dull  low  murmur  of  a  funeral 
Went  through  the  city,  and  a  sound  of  feet 
Unmixed  with  voices,  as  the  bearers  passed, 
Bending  beneath  their  burden.     There  was  one, 
Only  one  mourner.     Close  beside  the  bier, 
Crumpling  the  pall  up  in  her  withered  hands, 
Follow'd  an  aged  woman.     Her  short  steps 
Falter'd  with  weakness,  and  a  broken  moan 
Fell  from  her  quivering  lips.     The  pitying  crowd 
Follow'd  apart,  but  no  one  spoke  to  her. 
She  had  no  kinsman.     She  had  lived  alone, 
A  widow  with  one  son.     He  was  her  all, 
The  only  tie  she  had  in  the  wide  world, 
And  he  was  dead. 

Jesus  drew  near  to  Nain.     His  lips  were  parched 
With  the  noon's  sultry  heat.     The  beaded  sweat 
Stood  thickly  on  his  brow,  and  on  the  worn 
And  simple  latchets  of  his  sandals  lay 
Thick,  the  white  dust  of  travel.     He  had  come 
Since  sunrise  from  Capernaum,  staying  not 
To  catch  Gilboa's  light  and  spicy  breeze, 
Nor  turning  once  aside,  but  pressing  on 
Amid  the  hills  to  reach  the  homes  of  Nain, 
The  place  of  his  next  errand. 
Forth  from  the  city  gate  the  pitying  crowd 


178  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

Follow'd  the  stricken  mourner.     They  came  near 
The  place  of  burial ;  and  with  straining  hands, 
Closer  upon  her  breast  she  clasped  the  pall, 
As  with  inquiring  wildness  in  her  eyes, 
She  saw  where  Jesus  stood  beside  the  way. 
He  looked  upon  her,  and  his  heart  was  moved. 
Weep  not,  he  said  ;  and  as  they  stayed  the  bier, 
He  gently  drew  the  pall  from  out  her  grasp, 
And  laid  it  back  in  silence  from  the  dead. 
With  troubled  wonder  the  mute  throng  drew  near, 
And  gazed  on  his  calm  looks.     A  minute's  space 
He  stood  and  prayed.     Then  taking  the  cold  hand, 
He  said,  Arise ;  and  instantly  the  breast 
Heaved  in  its  cerements,  and  a  sudden  flush 
Ran  through  the  lines  of  the  divided  lips; 
While  with  a  murmur  of  his  mother's  name, 
lie  trembled  and  sat  upright  in  his  shroud; 
And  to  his  mother  he  delivered  him. 
Then  while  the  joyful  mourner  hung  upon  his  neck, 
Jesus  went  calmly  on  his  way  to  Nain." 


On  entering  the  town  a  little  before  sunset,  Jesus  took 
his  stand  in  the  market-place  or  public  square,  which  was 
speedily  filled  with  his  followers  and  the  towns-folk.  In 
that  hour  he  cured  many  of  diseases  and  plagues  and 
evil  spirits,  and  on  many  blind  he  bestowed  sight. 

John  the  Baptist  had  been  five  months  in  his  dungeon 
at  Tiberias,  about  thirteen  miles  from  Nain.  It  seems  his 
disciples  were  permitted  to  visit  him,  and  through  them 
he  had  heard  of  the  doings  of  Jesus,  whom  he  had  her- 
alded as  Messiah.  But  to  the  depressed  man  who  had 
lived  so  free,  his  prison  had  become  Doubting  Castle. 
Can  this  indeed  be  the  one  foretold  of  Isaiah  as  sent  to 
proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the 
prison  to  them  that  are  bound  ?  Then  why  should  he 
leave  me  here  to  languish   in   chains  ?     To  resolve  this 


THE  SECOND  TOUR  BEGUN  179 

doubt,  he  sent  two  of  his  disciples,  bidding  them  ask, 
Art  thou  he  that  cometh,  or  look  we  for  another  ? 50 

These  messengers,  favored  by  the  occasion,  joined  the 
followers  of  Jesus  on  the  way  to  Nain,  and  there  in  the 
market-place  delivered  their  message.     Jesus  replied  : 

"  Go  your  way,  and  tell  John  what  things  ye  do  hear 
and  see." 

To  these  proofs  he  added  a  word  of  encouragement, 
but  no  promise  of  help  ;  and  that  was  the  last  word  be- 
tween them. 

It  is  strange  that  Jesus,  who  made  the  lake  and  the 
cities  on  its  shores  his  own  and  famous  forever,  was  never, 
so  far  as  history  tells,  in  Tiberias,  apparently  having 
avoided  it.  It  is  strange  that  Jesus,  who  took  for  his 
text  in  the  Synagogue  at  Nazareth  the  prediction  of 
Isaiah  and  applied  it  to  himself,  and  who  on  that  occasion 
also  referred  to  it  as  being  literally  fulfilled  in  himself  and 
his  work,  nevertheless  left  John,  an  innocent  and  holy 
man,  his  friend  and  kinsman,  his  forerunner  and  divinely 
appointed  witness,  to  pine  in  captivity.  It  is  strange  that 
Jesus,  who  in  no  other  case  declined  to  relieve  suffering, 
but  was  prompt  to  apply  abundantly  his  beneficent 
power,  in  this  case  alone  gave  no  help  or  heed  to  a  suf- 
ferer whose  cry  was  seemingly  the  most  appealing  of  all, 
but  left  him  to  his  tragic  fate.  And  still  the  mystery 
deepens,  for  no  sooner  had  the  two  messengers  departed 
than  Jesus  pronounced  in  the  ears  of  all  the  people  a 
splendid  and  glowing  eulogy  on  John,  as  an  ascetic,  as  a 
man,  as  a  prophet,  as  the  Messianic  herald,  hidden  from 
the  worldly  wise,  but  revealed  unto  his  disciples  as  unto 
babes.  Moreover,  as  John  was  the  only  one  whom  Jesus 
ever  neglected,  so  was  he  the  only  one  whom  Jesus  ever 
eulogized. 


1 8o  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

It  may  fairly  explain  and  justify  his  neglect  of  John  to 
note  that  Jesus  did  no  miracle  for  his  own  personal  bene- 
fit, or  for  that  of  a  kinsman  or  disciple  which  would  have 
been  nepotism,  and  the  misuse  of  powers  devoted  to 
other  ends.  John  the  baptizer,  his  kinsman  and  herald, 
was  too  nearly  one  of  his  own  to  be  the  recipient  of 
miraculous  help.  Witness  also  the  host  of  Christian 
martyrs,  for  whose  relief  there  has  been  in  no  case  mi- 
raculous intervention. 

In  the  deepening  twilight  Jesus  continued  talking  to 
the  people  assembled  in  the  market  square.  It  may  be 
that  mingling  with  the  crowd  there  were  laborers  come 
from  the  fields  bearing  burdens  and  seeking  rest  after  the 
day's  weary  work.  As  he  looked  upon  these,  and  many 
others  of  the  meek  and  humble  souls  before  him,  labor- 
ing without  promise  of  reward,  weary  without  promise  of 
rest,  he  was  moved  with  compassion,  and  stretching 
forth  his  arms  he  cried  passionately,  in  words  of  pity, 
love  and  promise,  sweeter  than  an  angel's  song  : 

"  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Learn  of  me,  for  I  too  am  meek 
and  lowly  in  heart ;  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls." 

In  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd  was  one  burdened  soul 
that  resolved  to  take  him  at  his  word.  She  was  a  sinner 
indeed,  one  notorious  in  the  little  town,  and  so  scorned 
and  degraded  that,  even  in  the  gathering  darkness,  she 
dared  not  go  forward.  But  he  had  said,  Come,  all ;  this 
included  even  her,  and  she  would  come.  The  crowd  be- 
gan to  disperse ;  he  also  was  now  going.  She  followed 
in  the  dark,  unobserved  even  by  his  companions,  but 
watchful  of  him.51 

A  magnate  of  the  village,  Simon  by  name,  a  Pharisee, 


THE  SECOND  TOUR  BEGUN  181 

asked  Jesus  to  sup  with  him.  He  was  doubtful  of  the 
propriety  of  this  step,  but  curiosity  urged  him  on.  His 
condescension,  however,  had  a  limit,  and  the  invitation 
being  accepted,  he  omitted  some  of  the  common  rights 
of  hospitality,  thinking  he  had  gone  far  enough  in  admit- 
ting Jesus  to  a  place  at  his  table. 

Imagine  it  spread  in  a  large  room  lighted  by  cande- 
labra, Simon  the  host  reclining  on  his  couch  at  the  upper 
end,  the  place  of  dignity,  Jesus  reclining  at  the  lower  end 
nearer  the  entrance  door  with  perhaps  two  or  three  dis- 
ciples, other  guests  on  couches,  and  uninvited  visitors 
eager  to  see  and  hear,  standing  against  the  walls  around 
the  room.  The  supper  proceeds,  little  attention  being 
paid  by  the  haughty  host  to  his  humble  guests. 

Now  a  woman  comes  in,  stealthily  and  unnoticed. 
Half  creeping  in  the  shadow  of  the  couches,  she  soon 
finds  the  one  whereon  Jesus  lay.  Kneeling  at  his  feet 
extending  beyond  the  short  couch,  she  clasps  them  in 
her  hands,  kisses  them  again  and  again,  and  wets  them 
with  her  flowing  tears.  Then  still  weeping,  she  brings 
round  her  long  tresses,  and  wipes  the  tears,  not  from  her 
eyes,  but  from  his  feet,  as  if  her  tears  were  polluting.  No 
one  observes ;  Jesus  does  not  even  glance  towards  her. 
She  takes  from  her  bosom  an  alabaster  flask,  and  break- 
ing the  neck,  pours  precious  spikenard  over  those  weary 
feet.  The  odor  fills  the  room.  Simon  perceives  it,  and 
looks  around  inquiringly,  for  he  had  not  been  so  lavish 
as  to  provide  perfume  on  this  occasion.  His  eye  falls  on 
the  notorious  woman  clinging  to  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  he 
said  within  himself,  Surely  this  man  is  no  prophet,  else 
he  would  know  what  sort  of  woman  that  is,  and  not 
suffer  her  to  touch  him.  But  Jesus,  knowing  his  thought, 
said  unto  him : 


182  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

"  Simon,  I  have  somewhat  to  say  unto  thee." 

"  Teacher,  say  on,"  is  the  condescending  reply. 

"  A  certain  man  had  two  debtors ;  the  one  owed  five 
hundred  pence,  and  the  other  fifty.  When  they  had  not 
wherewith  to  pay,  he  forgave  them  both.  Which  of 
them  therefore  will  love  him  most  ?  " 

Simon,  surprised  at  the  simplicity  of  the  question,  not 
seeing  the  sharp  spear-point  inwrapt  in  it,  smilingly  con- 
ceeds  : 

"Why,  I  suppose,  he  to  whom  the  most  was  for- 
given." 

Jesus  assents  significantly : 

"  Thou  hast  rightly  judged." 

He  then  contrasts  the  behavior  of  Simon  with  that  of 
the  woman,  making  a  fearfully  sarcastic  exposure  of  his 
meanness.  Both  were  debtors,  having  nothing  where- 
with to  pay.  But,  as  the  Pharisee  owed  very  little,  he 
would  not  love  much.  See  the  divine  irony.  Hear  his 
telling  words: 

"  Seest  thou  this  woman  ?  I  entered  into  thine  house, 
thou  gavest  me  no  water  for  my  feet ;  but  she  has  wetted 
my  feet  with  her  tears,  and  wiped  them  with  her  hair. 
Thou  gavest  me  no  kiss  ;  but  she,  since  the  time  I  came 
in,  hath  not  ceased  to  kiss  my  feet.  My  head  with  oil 
thou  didst  not  anoint ;  but  she  hath  anointed  my  feet 
with  ointment.  Hence  I  say  unto  thee,  her  sins,  which 
are  many,  are  forgiven,  in  that  she  hath  loved  me  much ; 
but  to  whom  little  is  forgiven,  the  same  loveth  little." 

Turning  now  for  the  first  time  to  the  loving  penitent, 
he  said  lovingly  to  her : 

"  Thy  sins  are  forgiven.  Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee  ; 
go  in  peace." 

A  fewjiours  before,  he  had  raised  a  young  man  from 


THE  SECOND  TOUR  BEGUN  183 

the  dead.  That  was  a  physical  resurrection.  Now  he 
raised  a  young  woman,  dead  in  sin,  to  a  new  life.  This 
was  a  spiritual  resurrection.  She  had  knelt  at  his  feet, 
a  vile,  polluted,  degraded  outcast ;  she  arose  from  her 
knees  as  pure  as  an  angel.  She  had  come  in  misery,  her 
bosom  torn  with  anguish ;  she  went  away  with  a  heart 
full  of  the  peace  of  God  that  passeth  understanding. 

In  this  most  exquisite  incident,  the  Symposium  of 
Luke,  it  is  curious  to  note  a  parallel  in  the  much  earlier 
Symposium  of  Plato.  In  both  a  rich  aristocrat  enter- 
tains a  poor  but  famous  teacher  reclining  at  supper  with 
some  of  his  disciples.  In  both  the  discourse  is  of  love. 
In  both  the  Socratic  method  of  asking  entangling  ques- 
tions is  employed.  In  both  there  enters  a  sinner,  sinning 
in  the  name  of  love,  whose  sensuality  serves  by  contrast 
to  brighten  the  shining  purity  of  love  divine.  Still,  amid 
the  resemblances,  the  differences  are  as  many  and  as  great 
as  those  between  Socrates  and  Jesus. 

The  woman  who  was  a  sinner,  whose  name  the  history 
with  delicate  forbearance  withholds,  is  identified,  by  a 
somewhat  late  tradition,  with  Mary  Magdalene.  So  the 
novelists,  the  poets,  and  the  painters  innumerable.  So 
the  Magdalen  societies  and  asylums  for  the  reformation 
of  fallen  women.  Yet  there  is  not  a  single  biblical  rea- 
son supporting  this  tradition ;  on  the  contrary,  there  are 
excellent  reasons  proving  it  false.  Alas  that  the  surname 
of  the  pure,  sweet,  lovely  Mary  should  have  become 
throughout  Christendom  the  synonym  of  a  reformed  har- 
lot. Alas  that  the  outrageous  slander  should  be  perpetu- 
ated in  literature,  art,  and  common  speech,  to  be  rectified 
only  at  the  last  day. 

Of  the  penitent  woman  is  known  nothing  more  than 
what  is  here  told ;  except,  indeed,  that  she  has  now  been, 


1 84  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

for  nearly  two  millenniums,  in  the  promised  rest,  in  heaven 
with  the  Lord  to  whom  she  came,  whose  feet  she  kissed 
and  washed  with  her  tears  and  wiped  with  her  hair  and 
anointed  with  ointment. 

The  second  tour  throughout  the  many  cities  and  vil- 
lages of  Galilee,  beginning  at  Nain,  lasted  five  or  six 
months,  from  about  the  first  of  May  to  October  or  No- 
vember. The  history  is  silent,  as  in  the  case  of  the  first 
tour,  concerning  the  events  of  this  long  interval  after  the 
departure  from  Nain.  As  in  the  first  tour  a  single  typ- 
ical event  is  narrated,  so  in  this  second  the  incidents  at 
Nain  may  be  regarded  as  representing  the  untold  healing 
and  teaching  of  half  the  year. 52 

The  chosen  twelve  were  with  him.  But  what  more 
particularly  characterized  this  tour  is  that  he  was  accom- 
panied by  many  women  whom  he  had  healed,  and  who 
gratefully  ministered  of  their  substance  unto  him  and  his 
followers.  Three  women  are  named  ;  Susanna,  i.  e.,  Lily ; 
and  Joanna  the  wife,  or  now  perhaps  widow,  of  Chuza, 
Herod's  steward,  whose  son,  six  months  before,  he  while 
in  Cana  had  healed  at  Capernaum  ;  and  Mary  Magdalene, 
whom  he  had  freed  from  demons,  and  who  now  for  the 
first  time  appears,  evidently  a  new  figure  in  the  history. 
Their  supply  of  means  indicates  that  these  ministering 
women  were  socially  of  the  better  class.  Moreover,  the 
record  here  marks  the  Christian  emancipation  of  woman 
in  its  best  sense,  and  the  beginning  of  her  practical  work 
in  the  Church. 


XIV 

THE  SEQUEL  OF  THE  TOUR' 

IT  should  be  observed  of  the  three  Galilean  tours  that, 
while  there  is  almost  no  specific  record  of  the  events 
occurring  in  the  many  months  they  occupied,  yet  im- 
mediately upon  the  return  of  Jesus  home  to  Capernaum 
there  is  in  each  case  a  specific  detail  of  incidents  and 
teachings  comprised  within  one  or  two  days.  Thus  on 
the  return  from  the  second  tour,  quite  a  number  of  im- 
portant events,  as  its  sequel  to  be  narrated  under  the 
present  topic,  all  occurred  in  a  single  day. 

When  in  the  autumn  Jesus  returned  home  he  found 
that  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  the  emissaries  from  Jeru- 
salem, had  turned  from  him  the  tide  of  popular  favor. 
However,  a  blind  and  dumb  demoniac  was  brought  to 
him,  and  he  healed  him.  A  great  crowd  had  collected  in 
the  house  where  he  was,  and  the  beneficent  miracle 
seemed  about  to  win  them  again,  for  they  asked  in 
amaze : 

"  Is  not  this  the  son  of  David  ?  "  K 

But  the  Scribes  and  the  Pharisees,  repeating  their 
former  insulting  accusation,  said  among  the  people  : 

"  He  himself  is  possessed  of  Beelzebub,  and  by  the 
prince  of  demons  casteth  he  out  demons." 

Jesus  knowing  of  this,  called  them  to  him,  and  pub- 
licly exposed  the  absurdity  of  the  charge,  and  its  heinous 

185 


1 86  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

blasphemy.     Finally  he  denounced  them  bitterly,  as  John 
had  done,  saying : 

"  Ye  offspring  of  vipers,  how  can  ye,  being  evil,  speak 
good  things?  " 

Then  these  malignants  taunted  him  with : 
"  Master,  we  would  see  a  sign  from  thee." 
Their  meaning  is  that  what  they  had  seen  was  no 
proof.  He  must,  like  Moses  and  Elijah,  bring  down  a 
sign  from  heaven.  This  Jesus  refused,  and  referred  as 
once  before  at  the  cleansing  of  the  Temple,  to  his  com- 
ing resurrection,  as  the  great  and  eternal  sign  of  his 
heavenly  commission. 

Meantime  his  friends  heard  of  what  was  going  on,  and 
they  came  quickly  together  with  his  mother  and  kins- 
men, all  infected  apparently  with  the  disseminated  distrust ; 
for  they  proposed  to  lead  him  away  and  take  charge  of 
him,  saying,  He  surely  is  insane.  But  they  could  not  en- 
ter the  house  because  of  the  crowd  sitting  there.  So 
word  was  passed  to  him  while  he  was  yet  speaking : 

"  Thy  mother  and  thy  brethren  are  standing  without, 
desiring  to  see  thee." 

But  Jesus  said  unto  them  that  told  him  : 
"  Who  is  my  mother,  and  who  are  my  brethren  ?  " 
Then  stretching  forth  his  hand  towards  his  disciples,  he 
added : 

"  Behold  my  mother  and  my  brethren.  For  whosoever 
shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  he  is 
my  brother,  and  sister  and  mother." 

This  emphatic  preference  of  spiritual  to  natural  ties  is 
very  significant,  especially  with  reference  to  the  Virgin 
Mary. 

About  noon  of  this  eventful  day,  Jesus  left  the  house 


THE  SEQUEL  OF  THE  TOUR  187 

where  the  contention  occurred,  and  attended  by  the 
twelve  and  other  disciples  and  followers,  went  down  to 
the  lake  shore,  probably  a  little  south  of  the  wharves  of 
the  city  and  opposite  the  suburb  Bethsaida  the  home  of 
several  apostles.  There  a  very  great  multitude  collected 
and  pressed  upon  him.  So  he  entered  into  a  boat,  which 
was  then  moved  out  a  few  yards  from  shore,  and  he  sat 
down  and  taught  the  people  standing  on  the  beach,  many 
things  in  parables,  saying  : 

"  Hearken.     Behold  the  sower  went  forth  to  sow."  M 
Possibly  there  was  one  in  sight  to  whom  he  pointed 
as  an  object  lesson,  for  such  was  his  custom  in  teaching. 

A  parable  in  its  primary  meaning  is  a  comparison,  a 
putting  things  side  by  side,  whereby  familiar  matter  is 
made  to  illustrate  something  less  familiar  and  more  im- 
portant. The  New  Testament  parable  is  distinguished 
from  a  simile  by  being  more  elaborate,  and  from  a  fable 
by  being  physically  possible.  Generally  it  takes  the 
form  of  a  short  fictitious  narrative  of  a  like  case  or  of  an 
example,  in  a  few  instances  expanding  into  an  allegory. 
Altogether  there  are  twenty-nine  parables  spoken  by 
Jesus  and  recorded  in  the  synoptic,  the  first  three,  Gos- 
pels ;  there  are  none  in  the  fourth  Gospel.  In  general, 
they  occur  in  four  groups ;  one  in  this  Galilean  ministry ; 
another  in  the  second  Judean  ministry,  and  given  by 
Luke  only ;  a  third  in  the  Peraean  ministry,  also  given 
by  Luke  only ;  and  a  fourth  on  the  final  Tuesday.  All 
are  marked  rhetorically,  on  the  surface,  by  extreme  sim- 
plicity and  elegance ;  logically,  in  their  depths,  by  pro- 
found wisdom,  both  human  and  divine.  The  marvellous 
genius  of  the  man  whose  vivid  imagination  and  pene- 
trating insight  invented  these  exquisite  stories,  one  after 
another  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  stories  so  delectable, 


188  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

monitory  and  significant  as  to  live  throughout  all  time, 
for  the  delight  of  every  child,  the  counsel  of  every  man, 
the  research  of  every  sage,  is  a  genius  unequalled  in  the 
history  of  mankind. 

The  parables  spoken  from  the  boat,  resting  on  the 
gospel  lake,  paled  in  with  men,  were  five  in  number ; 
The  Sower,  The  Growing  Seed,  The  Tares,  The  Mustard 
Seed,  and  The  Leaven.  By  means  of  a  comparison  with 
familiar  things,  each  illustrates  some  attribute  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  already  proclaimed  by  John  and 
by  Jesus. 

Leaving  the  multitude  on  the  shore  Jesus  went  into 
the  house,  probably  the  home  of  Simon  Peter.  The 
twelve  and  other  disciples  followed,  and  when  they  were 
alone  they  asked  him  : 

"  Why  speakest  thou  to  them  in  parables  ?  " 

For  the  disciples  were  much  surprised  at  this  indirect, 
parabolic  teaching  which  was  a  distinct  departure  from 
his  usual,  direct  method.     Jesus  answered : 

"  Unto  you  is  given  to  know  the  mysteries  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  but  unto  them  that  are  yet  without 
the  kingdom,  all  things  are  taught  in  parables,  because 
seeing  they  see  not,  and  hearing  they  hear  not,  neither 
do  they  understand." 

Evidently  Jesus  painfully  felt  that  the  hostility  of  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees,  and  the  general  distrust  with 
which  they  had  affected  the  people,  were  so  great  ob- 
stacles to  their  receiving  his  word,  that  a  new  method 
was  requisite  to  reach  them.  Therefore  he  would  hence- 
forth use  the  distinction  prevalent  in  the  Greek  and  per- 
haps in  the  Hebrew  schools,  of  exoteric  teaching  for 
them  that  were  without,  reserving  his  esoteric  teaching 
for   his    immediate   disciples.     A    similar   distinction   is 


THE  SEQUEL  OF  THE  TOUR  189 

made  to-day  between  popular  scientific  lectures,  and  the 
specific  instruction  given  to  students  of  science. 

Having  answered  their  question,  Jesus  proceeded  to 
expound  to  them  esoterically  the  parable  of  The  Sower. 
Thereupon  at  their  request,  he  explained  also  the  parable 
of  The  Tares.  These  two  expositions  furnish  the  basis 
for  interpreting  the  parables  generally.  Then  he  added 
three  other  parables ;  The  Hidden  Treasure,  The  Pearl 
of  Great  Price,  and  The  Drag-net.  Thus  while  with 
many  such  parables  spake  he  the  word  unto  the  people 
as  they  were  able  to  bear  it,  privately  to  his  disciples  he 
expounded  all  things. 

The  practice  of  the  parabolic  method,  beginning  with 
this  group  of  eight  parables,  marks  a  distinct  epoch  in 
the  teaching  of  The  Teacher.  Also  it  is  worthy  of  note 
that  while  from  this  time  forth  his  miracles  diminish  in 
frequency,  the  frequency  and  fullness  of  his  parables  in- 
crease ;  and  that  the  total  number,  about  thirty,  recorded 
in  each  series  is  nearly  the  same. 

In  the  mid-afternoon,  Jesus,  depressed  by  the  insult 
and  slander  of  the  forenoon,  distressed  by  the  fickle 
people's  heart  waxed  gross,  annoyed  by  the  curious 
multitude  lingering  and  gathering  about  the  door  of  his 
refuge,  said  to  his  disciples  : 

"  Let  us  go  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  lake."  55 

So  they  helped  him,  even  as  he  was,  to  the  boat, 
launched  forth,  and  set  sail  for  the  opposite  shore. 
Jesus,  harassed  and  weary  with  the  toils  of  the  day,  lay 
down  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  pillowing  his  head 
upon  the  cushion  of  the  seat,  soon  was  rocked  to  sleep. 
It  toucheth  us  nearly,  this  tired,  sleeping  man. 

It  has  already  been  noted  that  the  Galilean  lake  is  sub- 


190  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

ject  to  sudden  and  violent  storms,  owing  to  the  cold  and 
heavy  air  of  the  northward  mountains  flowing  along  its 
surface  to  displace  the  hot  and  light  air  of  the  deep  Jordan 
valley  on  the  south.  When  the  boat  in  which  Jesus  was 
sleeping  was  midway  in  its  course,  one  of  these  storms 
arose.  Heavy  clouds  veiled  and  darkened  the  sky,  and 
a  thick  fog  settled  on  the  lake.  Then  an  aerial  avalanche 
came  roaring  down  from  the  mountains,  and  smote  upon 
the  waters,  lashing  them  into  wild  waves  that  dashed 
hissing  on  the  little  boat.  Its  sails  were  furled,  and  the 
sailors  grasped  their  oars  to  steady  and  control  its  course. 
Yet,  mid  all  the  hideous  roar  of  the  tempest,  the  deep 
slumber  of  the  tired  man  was  unbroken.  But  the  tu- 
multuous waves  rising  higher  dashed  over  the  gunwale 
of  the  tossing  boat,  and  it  began  to  fill.  Then  thought 
the  despairing  disciples,  He  can  save,  and  he  alone. 
One  of  them,  Peter  we  think,  tottered  aft,  shook  the 
sleeper  by  the  arm,  crying  : 

"  Master,  carest  thou  not?     Save ;  we  perish." 
As  a  man,  Jesus  slept ;  he  awoke  as  a  god.     First  he 
calmly  reproved  the  frightened  men  : 

"  Why  are  ye  fearful  ?     Where  is  your  faith  ?  " 
Then  standing  firmly  erect  on  the  wavering  board,  and 
looking  abroad  over  the  tempestuous  elements,  in  a  loud 
voice  he  commanded : 
"  Peace  ;  be  still." 

And  immediately  there  was  a  great  calm.  The  waves 
did  not  gently  subside,  but  abruptly  shrank ;  the  winds 
did  not  lull,  but  instantly  ceased,  and  the  air  stood  still ; 
the  clouds  did  not  disperse,  but  vanished,  and  the  un- 
veiled sun  flashed  beams  of  light  gilding  the  peaceful 
scene.  Then  Jesus  lay  down  and  slept  again.  The  res- 
cued mariners   marvelled,  whispering  one   to   another: 


THE  SEQUEL  OF  THE  TOUR  191 

"  Who  then  is  this,  that  even  the  wind  and  sea  obey 
him?" 

This  miracle  overwhelms  sense  and  taxes  credulity. 
It  is  commonly  regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  displays 
of  divine  energy.  But  have  we  any  dynamometer  with 
which  to  measure  miraculous  power?  Can  we  grade 
miraculous  signs  as  less  and  greater  ?  The  changing 
water  to  wine,  the  healing  a  fever,  the  withering  a  fig- 
tree  ;  in  what  are  these  inferior  to  raising  the  dead,  or 
stilling  the  tempest?  Only  that  they  impress  less  forci- 
bly our  short-sighted  sense.  Divine  power  in  one  is  the 
same  as  in  another,  and  knows  no  measure. 

Also  the  stilling  of  the  tempest  is  commonly  cited  as 
a  manifest  violation  of  natural  law.  What  natural  law  ? 
I  should  be  glad  to  see  it  formally  stated.  A  law  of  na- 
ture becomes  a  law,  and  becomes  known  as  a  law,  only 
by  virtue  of  the  axiomatic  truth  that  like  causes  have  like 
effects.  Were  like  antecedents,  including  the  will  of 
Jesus,  assembled  on  the  lake  to-day,  it  is  unquestionable 
that  like  consequents  would  follow.  There  is  in  the  case 
no  more  violation  of  natural  law,  a  phrase  greatly  need- 
ing definition,  than  when  a  child  tosses  a  ball.  In  this  is 
involved  human  will ;  in  that  superhuman  will.  How 
the  will  works  its  end  is  inexplicable  in  either  case. 

Peace;  be  still.  To  whom  were  these  words  ad- 
dressed? Certainly  the  winds  and  waves  had  no  ears  to 
hear ;  nor  could  they  be  rightly  said  to  obey,  as  the 
simple  disciples  imagined ;  for  obedience  implies  a  sub- 
missive will  in  the  one  commanded.  The  usual  reply  is 
that  the  words  were  spoken  merely  that  the  disciples 
might  hear  and  understand.  Then  the  command  was 
fictitious,  a  pretense,  a  sham.  Rather  let  us  remember 
that   Satan,  the    Prince  of  the  Power  of  the  Air,  was 


192  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

abroad,  and  perhaps  seized  upon  this  favorable  oppor- 
tunity to  destroy  his  prospective  supplanter.  He  com- 
missioned his  myrmidons  to  execute  his  will.  How,  we 
know  not ;  but  we  know  that  a  child  may  start  an 
avalanche.  The  tempest  was  roused  and  energized  by 
demoniac  powers.  Then  there  came  a  conflict  of  wills. 
In  the  command,  Peace,  be  still,  was  uttered  the  domi- 
nant will,  and  Satan  and  his  hosts  heard  and  obeyed. 

The  boat  had  been  driven  by  the  storm  on  a  south- 
easterly course,  and  was  now  near  the  eastern  coast.  A 
landing  was  effected  very  late  in  the  day,  nigh  to  Gerasa 
or  Gergesa,  a  village  of  the  coast  inhabited  mostly  by 
Greeks.  Immediately  Jesus  with  his  company  encoun- 
tered a  raging  demoniac  who  dwelt  in  the  tombs  which 
are  even  yet  to  be  seen  on  the  hillside.  He  was  exceed- 
ing fierce  so  that  no  man  could  bind  him,  or  had  strength 
to  tame  him ;  naked,  and  all  bloody  from  self-torture. 
When  he  saw  Jesus  from  afar,  he  ran  and  kneeled  to 
him,  doing  homage.  Jesus  at  once  commanded  the 
demon  to  come  out.     But  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice : 

"  What  have  I  to  do  with  thee,  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  the 
Most  High  God  ?  Art  thou  come  hither  to  torment  me 
before  the  time  ?  "  M 

Then  Jesus  asked  his  name,  and  was  answered,  Legion ; 
for  we  are  many.  And  they  implored  him  not  to  send 
them  into  the  abyss. 

Near  the  recently  identified  ruin  of  Gerasa,  is  a  long 
steep  slope  like  a  hillside,  extending  from  the  upland  to 
the  water's  edge.  On  this  was  a  great  herd  of  about 
two  thousand  swine  feeding,  probably  the  property  of 
Greeks,  as  swine-flesh  was  forbidden  to  the  Jews.  The 
hapless  demons   begged  leave  to  enter  the  swine,  and 


THE  SEQUEL  OF  THE  TOUR  193 

Jesus  gave  them  leave.  Note  that  he  did  not  require, 
but  merely  permitted  this ;  and  remember  the  mysteri- 
ous yet  familiar  fact  that  God  permits  a  multitude  of 
evils  in  the  world.  Then  the  demons  left  the  man  and 
took  possession  of  the  more  fitting  dwelling;  but  even 
the  swine  revolted,  and  panic  stricken  the  whole  herd 
rushed  madly  down  the  steep,  and  plunged  into  the  sea. 

The  swine-herds  fled  into  the  town  to  report  the  dis- 
aster and  the  people  came  out  to  see  what  had  come  to 
pass.  They  found  the  well-known  demoniac,  clothed 
and  in  his  right  mind,  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  They 
were  filled  with  fear,  the  more  so  as  they  attributed  to 
this  wonder-worker  the  loss  of  their  property,  and  knew 
not  what  other  losses  might  follow.  The  rescue  of  the 
wretch  was  little  to  them  in  view  of  the  surface  of  the 
lake  strewn  with  the  floating  bodies  of  their  swine.  So 
they  besought  the  stranger  to  depart  at  once  from  their 
coasts.  His  refuge  was  denied  him.  The  sun  ashamed 
sank  behind  the  hills,  and  night  frowned  darkly  on.  In 
its  gloom  Jesus  ordered  a  return.  As  he  was  entering 
the  boat,  the  freedman  begged  to  go  with  him,  but  was 
sent  away  to  his  home  to  tell  of  God's  mercy  on  him. 

Then  Jesus  with  his  disheartened  company  sailed 
slowly  away  over  the  now  submissive  sea,  amid  the 
whispering  airs,  under  the  wondering  stars,  to  his  own 
sad  home  again. 

Thus  ended  this  eventful  and  distressful  day. 


XV 
THE  THIRD  TOUR.     FATE  OF  JOHN 

JESUS  having  returned  to  Capernaum  was  again  be- 
set by  the  multitude  awaiting  him.  So,  with  the 
twelve,  he  promptly  left  the  city,  and  entered  upon 
the  third  Galilean  tour. 

As  a  beginning  he  went  direct  to  Nazareth.  Twelve 
months  before  this,  at  the  outset  of  the  Galilean  ministry, 
he  had  taught  in  the  Synagogue  at  Nazareth,  offering 
himself  first  of  all  to  his  home  people.  But  they  re- 
jected him,  and  even  tried  to  kill  him.  Now,  with  a 
heart  full  of  generous,  forgiving  love,  he  again  visits  them, 
longing  to  bless  the  old  home  of  his  childhood,  youth 
and  manhood.87 

So,  when  the  Sabbath  was  come,  he  taught  many  in 
their  Synagogue.     They  were  astonished,  and  said  : 

"  Whence  has  he  this  wisdom,  and  these  mighty 
powers  ?  Is  not  this  the  carpenter,  the  son  of  Miriam, 
and  brother  of  James,  and  Joses,  and  Judas,  and  Simon  ? 
And  are  not  his  sisters  all  here  with  us  ?  Whence  then 
hath  this  man  all  these  things  ?  " 

Thus  they  were  scandalized  in  him,  and  scorned  him. 
Their  reasoning  though  utterly  illogical,  is  not  unusual. 
This  Jesus  remarked,  saying  to  them : 

"  A  prophet  is  not  without  honor,  save  in  his  own 
country,  and  among  his  own  kin,  and  in  his  own  house." 

Even  he  himself,  with  all  his  knowledge  of  what  is  in 
man,  marvelled  at  their  unbelief.     And  because  of  this 

194 


THE  THIRD  TOUR.     FATE  OF  JOHN     195 

unbelief,  some  faith  being  prerequisite,  he  could  do 
among  them  no  mighty  work ;  only  he  laid  his  hands  on 
a  few  sick  folk,  and  healed  them.  Then  he  departed; 
and  Nazareth  disappears  from  history. 

Thence  Jesus  went  forward  to  teach  and  to  heal  in  the 
numerous  cities  and  villages  of  Galilee.  But  when  he 
saw  the  multitudes,  he  was  moved  with  compassion  for 
them,  because  they  were  as  sheep  not  having  a  shepherd, 
and  he  said,  The  harvest  truly  is  plenteous,  but  the 
laborers  are  few.  So  he  called  the  twelve  together,  and 
gave  them  power  over  demons,  and  to  cure  diseases. 
For  now,  as  apostles,  he  would  send  them  abroad  to  heal 
the  sick,  and  to  preach  the  kingdom  of  God.  Freely  ye 
received,  said  he,  freely  give.58 

"  Largely  thou  givest,  gracious  Lord, 
Largely  thy  gifts  should  be  restored ; 
Freely  thou  givest,  and  thy  word 

Is,  Freely  give. 
He  only,  who  forgets  to  hoard, 
Has  learned  to  live." 

St.  Paul,  in  his  charge  to  the  Ephesian  elders,  tells 
them  to  remember  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  how  he 
himself  said,  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive 
(Acts  20 :  35).  This  saying  is  not  found  in  the  Gospels. 
When  did  it  occur?  Perhaps  here,  in  this  charge  to  the 
apostles. 

Furthermore  he  charged  them  to  make  no  provision 
for  their  journey,  and  to  conduct  themselves  with  dignity. 
He  told  them  of  dangers  and  even  persecutions  to  be 
undergone,  but  bid  them  not  to  fear,  for  they  should  be 
under  a  special  providence.  Himself  came  not  to  bring 
peace,  but  a  sword,  and  a  man's  foes,  said  he,  shall  be 


196  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

they  of  his  own  household.  Yet  whosoever  shall  give  to 
drink  unto  one  of  these  little  ones  a  cup  of  cold  water 
only,  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  verily  he  shall  in  no  wise 
lose  his  reward.  Thus  instructed  and  encouraged,  they 
departed,  two  and  two  together,  and  went  through  the 
villages,  preaching  the  Gospel,  and  healing  everywhere. 

This  third  and  final  Galilean  tour  was  begun,  like  the 
second,  in  lower  Galilee,  and  continued  nearly  five 
months,  from  the  latter  part  of  the  fall  of  the  year  28,  until 
April  of  the  next  year.  Of  what  further  events  took 
place  in  Galilee  during  this  long  interval  there  is,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  two  previous  tours,  no  specific  account. 
Only,  in  general,  of  Jesus  it  is  said  that  wheresoever  he 
entered,  into  villages,  or  into  cities,  or  into  the  country, 
they  laid  their  sick  in  the  market-places  or  by  the  way- 
side, and  besought  him  that  these  might  touch  if  it  were 
but  the  border  of  his  garment ;  and  as  many  as  touched 
it  were  made  whole.  But  the  particular  characteristic  of 
the  tour  was  the  apostolic  mission,  in  which  the  twelve 
were  passed  temporarily  and  tentatively  from  disciples  to 
teachers.  At  its  close  the  apostles  gathered  themselves 
together  at  Capernaum  unto  Jesus,  and  reported  whatso- 
ever they  had  done,  and  whatsoever  they  had  taught. 

History  records,  however,  an  important  event  that 
occurred  outside  of  Galilee  while  Jesus  and  his  apostles 
were  evangelizing   that  district.69 

It  will  be  remembered  that,  more  than  a  year  before 
the  date  we  have  reached,  John  the  baptizer  was 
arrested  and  imprisoned  at  Tiberias  by  Herod  Antipas, 
probably  upon  the  flimsy  pretext  of  his  endangering 
public  safety.  It  was  done  doubtless  at  the  instigation  of 
Herodias,  the  paramour  of  Antipas,  she  being  embarrassed 


THE  THIRD  TOUR.     FATE  OF  JOHN     197 

in  her  scheme  of  marriage  with  Antipas,  and  deeply 
offended  by  the  bold  non  licet  of  John.  Vindictively  and 
unceasingly  she  sought  to  take  his  life.  But  Antipas 
withheld  his  necessary  consent  while  in  Galilee ;  for, 
knowing  John  to  be  a  righteous  man  and  accounted  a 
prophet,  he  feared  the  people.  So  he  tried  to  compro- 
mise with  Herodias  by  keeping  him  in  prison. 

Also  it  will  be  remembered  that,  when  Herodias, 
accompanied  by  her  young  daughter  Salome,  eloped 
from  Rome  with  Antipas,  he  was  the  husband  of  a 
daughter  of  Aretas,  an  emir  of  Arabia,  whose  seat  was 
at  Petraea  south  of  the  Dead  Sea.  The  wife  hearing  of 
her  husband's  conduct,  and  of  his  promise  of  divorce  in 
order  to  marry  his  paramour,  fled  to  her  former  home  at 
Petraea.  Her  father,  to  avenge  the  outrage,  very  soon 
declared  war  against  Antipas.  He  made  elaborate 
preparation,  and  was  now  threatening  the  southern 
border  of  the  adjoining  tetrarchy  of  Antipas  which,  on 
the  east  of  the  Dead  Sea,  extended  to  the  river  Arnon. 

Antipas  had  sent  troops  to  defend  his  frontier,  but  now 
resolved  to  go  thither  himself  and  superintend  operations. 
He  ordered  therefore  a  transfer  of  his  court  temporarily 
from  Tiberias  to  Machaerus.  This  was  a  castle  or  frontier 
fortress,  east  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  within  the  domain  of 
Antipas,  originally  built  as  a  defense  against  the  Arabs. 
It  was  surrounded  by  ravines,  at  some  points  not  less 
than  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  deep,  and  in 
addition  to  this  natural  advantage,  was  strongly  fortified. 
Its  supply  of  water  was  unfailing,  and  it  was  never 
reduced  by  siege  or  taken  by  storm.  A  citadel,  accord- 
ing to  Pliny,  second  only  to  Jerusalem.  Herod  the  Great 
rendered  it  attractive  by  adding  splendid  porticos  and 
other  extensions,  and  it  became  one  of  his  favorite  resorts. 


198  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

The  route  of  Herod  Antipas  and  his  cohort  was  from 
Tiberias,  across  the  Jordan  just  south  of  the  lake,  and 
thence  directly  southward,  a  full  three  days'  journey. 
The  order  of  march  approaching  Machaerus  (z.  e.f  Diadem 
of  the  Desert)  may  be  imagined  :  The  vanguard,  a  body 
of  infantry  equipped  as  Roman  soldiers ;  then  the  pseudo- 
king,  riding  on  a  magnificently  caparisoned  charger, 
and  surrounded  by  his  immediate  bodyguard  of  richly 
dressed  and  armed  mercenaries ;  then  three  white  horses 
abreast,  gaily  harnessed,  drawing  a  splendidly  gilded 
chariot,  in  which  two  beautiful  women  are  seated, 
Herodias  and  her  young  daughter  Salome  ;  then  a  young 
man  afoot,  clothed  in  only  a  sackcloth  shirt  with  a  leathern 
girdle  about  his  loins,  his  legs,  arms  and  head  bare,  his 
long  black  hair  and  beard  unkempt,  emaciated  but  with 
eyes  of  an  eagle,  his  hands  pinioned  behind  him,  and 
a  long  leash  from  his  neck  to  the  triumphal  car  of 
Herodias ;  a  special  guard  attending  him ;  then  follow 
on  horses  or  in  chariots  the  retinue  of  courtiers,  and  the 
marching  rearguard  of  troops.  When  Machaerus  comes 
in  sight,  the  eye  of  John  turns  from  the  prison  fortress, 
and  sweeps  sadly  over  the  sullen  surface  of  the  sea  to  the 
wilderness  of  Judea  beyond,  within  whose  shades  he  had 
lived  many  years,  alone,  but  free. 

The  court  was  installed  within  the  luxurious  precincts 
of  the  castle,  the  troops  were  posted  on  its  battlements 
as  guards,  while  John  was  consigned  to  one  of  its  deep 
dungeons. 

Not  long  after  this  arrival,  the  birthday  of  Herod 
Antipas  occurred.  He  was  now  about  fifty  years  old. 
The  birthdays  of  Herodian  princes  {Herodis  Dies,  of  the 
Roman  satirists)  were  usually  celebrated  with  great 
pomp.     Accordingly,  Herod  invited  on  this  occasion  the 


THE  THIRD  TOUR.     FATE  OF  JOHN     199 

lords  and  officers  of  his  court  and  army  to  a  banquet  and 
symposium  in  the  great  hall  of  the  castle. 

The  hall  brilliantly  lighted  by  candelabra,  was  sur- 
rounded by  cushioned  divans  against  the  walls,  leaving 
the  middle  floor-space  clear.  On  these  divans  the  guests 
reclined,  and  were  served  by  richly  dressed  pages  with 
viands  and  wines.  No  women  guests.  Herod  the  king, 
so-called,  occupied  a  couch  placed  prominently  on  one 
side,  and  raised  a  little  higher  than  the  range  of  the 
divans.  Perfumes  enriched  the  air,  music  entranced  the 
ear,  and  dancing  girls  bewitched  the  eye,  so  that  every 
avenue  of  sensuous  pleasure  was  thronged. 

The  luxurious  feast  progressed  until  host  and  guests 
were  well  wined.  Then  at  a  signal  the  central  floor  was 
cleared,  a  lively  burst  of  music  dispelled  languor,  a  door 
was  thrown  open,  and  there  tripped  in  with  quick  but 
measured  steps,  a  beautiful  young  girl,  waving  and  beat- 
ing her  tambourine.  It  was  Salome.  The  Herodian 
princesses,  descendants  of  the  famous  Mariamne,  as 
Herodias  herself,  Berenice,  Drusilla,  inherited  her  marvel- 
lous beauty,  her  physical  grace  and  charm.  And  Salome 
was  already  famous  for  her  beauty.  Educated  at  Rome, 
she  was  skilled  in  the  graceful  art  of  dance,  and  was  now 
sent  by  her  shameless  and  intriguing  mother  to  execute 
a  pas  sail  for  the  entertainment  of  the  tipsy  king  and  his 
tipsy  guests.  She  wore  a  bodice  of  scarlet  satin,  a  short 
skirt  of  pink  silk,  and  little  slippers  of  silver-gilt;  a 
richly  embroidered  and  bejewelled  belt,  bracelets  on  her 
bare  arms,  pearls  about  her  neck  and  woven  in  her  dark, 
floating  hair.  With  smiles  and  nods  of  recognition,  and 
easy,  graceful  steps  she  made  a  dancing  tour  of  the  hall, 
keeping  time  to  the  bright  music  with  her  high  swinging 
tambourine.      Loud,  boisterous  acclaims  greeted  her  on 


200  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

every  hand.  The  guests  expected,  at  this  simulated 
Roman  symposium,  to  be  entertained  with  dancing,  but 
not  this  unprecedented  honor  by  the  belle  of  the  realm, 
and  a  princess  of  the  highest  blood-royal.  Nor  was  it 
anticipated  by  Herod  himself;  truly  he  was  surprised, 
yet,  regardless  of  decorum,  he  too  was  out  of  measure 
delighted. 

Salome  danced  to  and  fro  throughout  the  room,  ex- 
hibiting her  skilled  grace  and  youthful  charms  to  the 
leering  men,  then  with  a  pirouette  came  to  a  stand  facing 
the  king.  The  music  suddenly  ceased,  the  applause 
hushed,  there  was  silence.  Then  the  king,  leaning  his 
flushed  foxy  face  forward,  and  with  bleared  eyes  ogling 
the  beauty,  spluttered  out : 

"  Well,  that's  th'  purtst  thing,  hie,  ever  saw.  Ask  for 
anything,  you  sh'll  have't.  I  sware  by  all  that's  holy, 
hie,  in  J'rus'lm  or  Rome,  I'll  give't  you,  even  half  my 
kingdom,  sware  I  will,  by  Jove." 

With  a  curtsied  obeisance  she  replied  : 

"  I  will  consult  my  mother." 

Tripping  out  of  the  hall,  she  found  the  queen  at  hand, 
listening  and  anxiously  expectant. 

"What  shall  I  ask?" 

"  The  head  of  John  the  Baptist." 

Straightway  the  girl  returned  to  the  hall,  and  with  a 
new  obeisance,  said  to  the  king  : 

"  I  will  that  thou  forthwith  give  me  in  a  charger  the 
head  of  John  the  Baptist." 

At  this  Herod  was  sobered  and  grieved ;  he  saw  the 
trap,  but  too  late ;  now  because  of  his  oath,  and  of  his 
guests  that  heard  it,  he  would  not  refuse.  Solomon 
broke  a  sober  promise  to  his  mother.  Might  not  Herod 
break  a  drunken  pledge  to  a  dancing  girl  ?     Oh,  no  ;  he 


THE  THIRD  TOUR.     FATE  OF  JOHN     201 

was  too  high-minded  and  honorable.  Sooner  he  would 
murder  a  prophet ;  yea,  and  one  much  more  than  a 
prophet.  So  he  ordered  one  of  his  bodyguard  there 
present  to  bring  the  head.  The  soldier  left  the  castle 
hall,  and  descended  the  long  steep  winding  stone  stairs, 
that  led  to  the  deep  dungeon  far  beneath. 

Meantime,  while  he  was  doing  his  deadly  work  below, 
the  music  above  struck  up,  and  Salome  entertained  the 
king  and  his  company  overhead  with  a  lively  castanet 
dance. 

Very  soon  the  guardsman  returned  up  the  stairway,  in 
his  right  hand  a  bloody  sword,  a  trunkless  head  swinging 
from  the  other  by  its  long  black  hair.  With  vigilant 
provision,  a  large  silver  dish  or  charger  was  ready  at  the 
door.  He  laid  the  head  upon  it,  and  carried  it  into  the 
hall.  The  music  stopped,  the  dancer  stood  still,  and  the 
guardsman  on  bended  knee,  offered  the  girl  the  charger. 
Graciously  she  received  the  gory  trophy,  and  lifting  it  on 
high  before  her  lest  the  drippings  from  the  over-hanging 
hair  should  fleck  her  silken  skirt  with  crimson  stains,  she 
smilingly  left  the  hall,  and  bore  it  to  her  mother. 

The  queenly  face  of  Herodias  flushed  with  triumph,  as 
seated  in  her  boudoir  she  received  at  last  the  reward  of 
her  pains.  Imitating  the  deed  of  Fulvia,  the  wife  of 
Anthony,  upon  the  head  of  the  silver-tongued  Cicero, 
Herodias  took  the  charger  on  her  lap,  forced  open  the 
jaws  of  the  stiffening  head,  dragged  out  the  tongue  that 
had  dared  to  utter  non  licet,  then  drawing  from  her  thick 
tresses  a  long,  bejewelled  bodkin,  she  thrust  it  through 
the  silenced  tongue  again  and  again,  the  tongue  that  had 
proclaimed,  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God.  Salome  laughed 
to  see  her  mother's  rage,  who  putting  aside  the  charger, 
and  looking  on   her  stained  hands,  joined  in  the  laugh, 


202  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

and  said,  Come,  let  us  wash  our  hands ;  a  little  water 
clears  us  of  this  deed.  Then  she  summoned  a  man- 
servant, and  with  a  muttered  curse  ordered  him  to  toss 
the  head  from  the  battlements  into  the  ravine. 

It  was  done.  The  body  also  was  tossed  from  a  postern 
into  the  ravine,  to  glut  wolves  and  vultures.  But  several 
loving  disciples  of  John,  who  had  followed  him  to  Ma- 
chaerus  and  were  lingering  in  the  neighborhood,  having 
heard  of  these  things,  found  and  gathered  together  the 
remains,  and  laid  the  corpse  reverently  in  a  tomb.  Then 
they  journeyed  northward  to  Capernaum,  and  told  Jesus 
what  was  done. 

Once  hereafter  Herod  Antipas  reappears  in  the  gospel 
story,  yet  a  few  words  may  be  said  here  about  his  subse- 
quent and  final  history.  Not  long  after  the  tragedy  nar- 
rated, his  troops  were  defeated  with  great  slaughter  by 
those  of  Aretas,  a  defeat  attributed  by  the  Jews  to  his 
murder  of  John.  He  fled  with  his  court  back  to  Tiberias. 
There  his  guilty  soul  was  racked  by  fears.  Hearing  of 
the  wonderful  works  of  Jesus  whom  he  had  never  seen, 
he,  though  professedly  a  Sadducee  denying  all  resurrec- 
tion, in  superstitious  alarm  cried  out  even  to  his  servants, 
It  is  John  whom  I  beheaded ;  he  is  risen.  Indeed  ever 
after,  his  table  was  haunted,  like  Macbeth's,  by  a  phan- 
tom guest ;  he  too  found  no  minister  to  a  mind  diseased  ; 
the  very  air  he  breathed  was  red. 

The  death  of  our  Lord  occurred  in  the  year  30.  Ti- 
berius Caesar,  emperor,  died  in  39,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Caius  Caesar,  or  Caligula,  with  whom  Herod  Agrippa  the 
first,  a  brother  of  Herodias,  was  a  favorite.  Apprehend- 
ing deposition  in  favor  of  Agrippa,  Herodias  urged 
Antipas  to  go  with  her  to  Rome  to  counteract  his  influ- 


THE  THIRD  TOUR.     FATE  OF  JOHN     203 

ence.  Antipas  reluctantly  yielded.  The  deposition, 
however,  took  place,  and  he  was  banished,  in  his  old  age, 
to  Lugdunum  in  Gaul  (now  Lyons,  France)  after  a  reign 
as  tetrarch  of  forty-three  years.  Herodias,  passionately 
refusing  all  indulgent  favor,  followed  him  into  exile,  where 
both  disappear.  Prior  to  their  departure  for  Rome,  Sa- 
lome married  her  great  uncle,  Philip  II,  tetrarch  of  Iturea, 
who  was  about  fifty  years  of  age.  After  his  decease,  she 
married  Aristobulus,  king  of  Calchis.  She  had  by  him 
three  sons,  one  of  whom  became  a  king.  Tradition  as- 
cribes to  her  a  tragic  death  by  decapitation ;  but  it  is 
equally  probable  that  she  died  peacefully,  like  Lucrezia 
Borgia,  in  the  odor  of  sanctity. 


XVI 

THE  CLOSING  SCENES 

THE  apostles,  having  returned  from  their  mis- 
sionary tour,  and  having  reported  to  Jesus  at 
Capernaum,  were  wearied,  and  needed  rest. 
Jesus  too  was  wearied  and  needed  rest.  Moreover,  he 
was  depressed  by  the  news  of  the  tragedy  of  Machaerus, 
and  longed  for  a  little  retirement.  But  this  seemed  al- 
most impossible  in  Capernaum,  especially  just  then,  on 
the  eve  of  the  Passover,  when  the  people  of  upper 
Galilee  on  their  way  to  the  feast  were  gathering  there  in 
great  numbers.  These,  impelled  by  curiosity,  thronged 
him  and  his  companions  so  that  they  had  no  leisure  so 
much  as  to  eat.     Then  said  Jesus  to  the  twelve : 

"  Let  us  go  apart  into  a  desert  place,  and  rest  awhile."60 

So  they  went  away  in  a  boat  to  the  head  of  the  lake, 
and  landed  just  east  of  the  mouth  of  upper  Jordan, 
and  south  of  the  town  of  Bethsaida  Julias,  where  were 
alluvial  meadows  and  neighboring  heights  that  promised 
retirement. 

But  the  vagrant  people  having  watched  the  boat  fol- 
lowed, many  in  boats,  but  thousands  afoot  along  the  lake 
shore,  to  the  place ;  for  the  distance  from  Capernaum 
was  only  about  three  or  four  miles. 

So  it  was  that  a  great  multitude  speedily  gathered,  and 
surrounded  Jesus  and  the  twelve  stationed  on  a  little  knoll. 
As  Jesus  overlooked  the  swelling  throng  of  men,  women 
and  children,  he  was  moved  with   compassion,  because 

204 


THE  CLOSING  SCENES  205 

they  were  as  sheep  not  having  a  shepherd.  He  wel- 
comed them,  healed  their  sick,  and  began  to  teach  them 
many  things. 

"  A  voice  amid  the  desert,  Not  of  him 
Who  in  rough  garments  clad,  and  locust  fed, 
Cried  to  the  sinful  multitude,  and  claim'd 
Fruits  of  repentance,  with  the  lifted  scourge 
Of  terror  and  reproof.     A  milder  guide, 
With  gentler  tones,  doth  teach  the  listening  throng, 
And  in  the  guise  of  parable  allured 
The  sluggish  mind  to  follow  truth  and  live. 
They  whom  the  thunders  of  the  Law  had  stunn'd 
Woke  to  the  Gospel's  melody  with  tears; 
And  the  glad  Jewish  mother  held  her  babe 
High  in  her  arms,  that  its  young  eye  might  greet 
Jesus  of  Nazareth.     It  was  so  still, 
Though  thousands  cluster'd  there,  that  other  sound 
Break  not  the  spell  of  eloquence  which  held 
The  wilderness  in  chains,  save  now  and  then, 
As  the  gale  freshen'd,  came  the  murmur'd  speech 
Of  distant  billows,  chaffing  with  the  shores 
Of  the  Tiberian  sea." 

Evening  came  on,  and  with  it  hunger.     Then  said  the 

twelve  unto  him : 

"  The  place  is  desert,  and  the  day  is  now  far  spent ; 

send  them  away  that  they  may  go  into  the  country  and 

villages    round   about,   and   buy   themselves    somewhat 

to  eat." 

But  Jesus,  knowing  what  he  would  do,  replied : 

"  They   have    no    need   to   go   away ;  give   ye   them 

to  eat." 

And  turning  to  Philip,  he  spoke,  proving  him : 
"  Whence  are  we  to  buy  bread  that  these  may  eat  ?  " 
Philip  knowing  and  lamenting  their  poverty,  answered  : 
"Judas  hath  in  the  common  purse  only  two  hundred 


206  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

denarii  (about  #34),  which  is  not  sufficient  that  every  one 
may  take  a  little." 

Then  said  Jesus  unto  his  willing  servants : 

"  How  many  loaves  have  ye  ?     Go,  and  see." 

Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother,  replied : 

"  There  is  a  lad  here,  which  hath  five  barley  loaves  and 
two  small  fishes  ;  but  what  are  these  among  so  many." 

"  Bring  them  hither  to  me,"  said  Jesus  ;  "  and  make  the 
people  sit  down  in  companies,  about  fifty  each." 

And  they  did  so,  making  them  all  sit  down  in  ranks 
upon  the  green  grass,  in  number  about  five  thousand 
men,  beside  women  and  children. 

It  is  permissible  to  note  that  Mark  says,  "  upon  the 
green  grass  "  ;  for  this  is  the  only  touch  of  color  in  the 
Gospels,  unless  we  except  the  "green  tree"  of  Luke, 
meaning  live  tree,  also  "  red  "  as  a  sign  of  weather,  in  a 
doubtful  passage  of  Matthew,  and  the  "  purple "  or 
"  scarlet "  robe  occurring  six  times  ;  in  which  cases,  how- 
ever, the  colors  are  not  descriptive  but  symbolic. 
Throughout  the  Iliad  of  Homer,  who  surely  was  at  least 
color-blind,  the  "  rosy-fingered  Aurora  "  is  the  only  trace 
of  prismatic  hue.  His  scenes  are  all  in  clare-obscure,  or 
white  and  black,  like  a  steel  engraving.  So  likewise  are 
the  Gospel  scenes  colorless  photogravures,  with  the  one 
slight  exception  of  this  descriptive  "  the  green  grass." 
Imagination,  however,  with  her  rainbow  pencil,  readily 
sets  them  all  aglow.  Remembering  the  fondness  of 
orientals  for  gaily  colored  costumes,  we  may  be  sure  that 
when  Jesus  from  the  little  knoll  was  overlooking  the 
vast  multitude  seated  in  ranks  on  the  green  grass  of  the 
meadow  under  the  slant  rays  of  sunset,  the  scene  was  like 
a  garden  of  variegated  flowers,  blooming  and  brilliant  in 
red  and  blue  and  yellow  on  the  surface  of  green. 


THE  CLOSING  SCENES  207 

Now  Jesus  took  the  five  loaves  and  two  fishes,  and 
looking  up  to  heaven,  he  asked  his  father's  blessing ; 
then  he  break  the  loaves,  and  gave  to  the  disciples  to  set 
before  the  people  ;  and  the  two  fishes  divided  he  among' 
them  all.     And  they  did  all  eat,  and  were  filled. 

"  No  fiery  wing  is  seen  to  glide, 

No  cates  ambrosial  are  supplied, 
But  one  poor  fisher's  rude  and  scanty  store 

Is  all  he  asks,  and  more  than  needs, 

Who  men  and  angels  daily  feeds, 
And  stills  the  wailing  sea-bird  on  the  barren  shore." 

Then  said  he  to  his  wondering  disciples  : 

"  Gather  up  the  broken  pieces  which  remain  over,  that 
nothing  be  lost." 

So  they  gathered  them  up,  and  filled  twelve  baskets. 
A  lesson  of  economy  amid  abundance.  A  beautiful, 
kindly  miracle  of  growth  and  plenty  without  waste,  sym- 
bolic of  the  abundant  sufficiency  of  divine  grace  to  all  in 
time  of  need. 

The  sated  people  were  astonished  at  the  miracle,  and 
said,  Of  a  truth  this  is  the  prophet.  They  began  to  con- 
sider and  to  consult  one  with  another,  and  quickly  con- 
spired to  proclaim  him  and  to  make  him  by  force  a  king. 
For,  how  fine  it  would  be  to  have  a  king  who  should 
feed  them  all,  freely,  abundantly.  No  more  toil,  no  more 
anxiety  about  daily  bread,  but  like  the  proletariat  of 
Rome  fed  by  the  power  and  bounty  of  the  emperor. 
Moreover,  they  longed  for  a  king  to  free  them  from  the 
Roman  yoke.  And  was  there  not  a  promise  of  one? 
The  time  is  ripe ;  the  Passover  is  at  hand ;  he  has  come. 
This  wild  project,  at  once  selfish  and  patriotic,  won  the 
sympathy  and  perhaps  the  connivance  of  the  twelve. 
Jesus,  knowing  it  all,  promptly  constrained  his  disciples 


208  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

to  enter  into  the  boat,  and  told  them  to  begone  home, 
while  he  dispersed  the  multitude.  This  he  did,  and  then 
went  up  into  a  neighboring  height  alone,  for  prayer. 

Anthony,  in  his  oration  over  the  broken  body  of  his 
friend  Caesar,  recounts  that  he  thrice  refused  a  kingly 
crown.  Here  John,  in  his  evangel  over  the  broken  body 
of  his  friend  Jesus,  relates  that  he  once,  at  once,  and 
once  for  all,  refused  a  kingly  crown.  The  one  refused 
from  worldly  policy ,]dreading  failure.  The  other  refused 
from  heavenly  wisdom,  confiding  in  the  assurance  of  a 
kingdom  that  cannot  be  moved. 

The  disciples,  starting  for  home  about  dark,  encoun- 
tered a  stiff  wind  from  the  southwest,  blowing  contrary 
to  their  course,  retarding  and  driving  them  somewhat 
aside,  so  that,  though  they  rowed  distressfully  between 
three  and  four  miles,  and  though  the  night  was  then  far 
spent,  they  had  not  yet  reached  their  shore.  They  were 
worn  out  by  the  toil  of  contending  with  the  waves,  and 
disheartened ;  for,  after  the  setting  of  the  pascal  moon, 
then  nearing  full,  in  the  dark  hour  before  dawn,  they 
knew  not  just  whereabouts  they  were.61 

Amid  this  perplexity  and  distress,  a  gleam  of  light 
shone  along  the  waters,  and  they  beheld  a  figure  in  a 
halo,  the  figure  of  a  man  with  garments  of  light,  approach- 
ing, walking  on  the  sea.  The  conscious  waves  on  either 
hand  stood  still  as  he  passed,  and  those  before  him  sank 
prostrate  to  a  level  way  illumined  by  the  glory  shining 
from  him  as  he  came.  Then  upon  the  boatmen  fell  the 
human  dread  of  the  supernatural,  and  startled  by  the 
apparition,  they  huddled  together  and  cried  out  in  terror. 
But  the  well-known  voice  of  Jesus  came  sweetly  to  their 
ears : 


THE  CLOSING  SCENES  209 

"  Be  of  good  cheer  ;  it  is  I ;  be  not  afraid." 

From  the  lonely  mount  to  which  he  had  retired,  Jesus 

had  been  looking  out  with  his  divine  eyes  into  the  night 

over  the  agitated  waters  — 

"  Where  far  below,  Gennesaret's  main 

Spreads  many  a  mile  of  liquid  plain, 
Though  all  seem  gathered  in  one  eager  bound, 

Then  narrowing  clears  yon  palmy  lea, 

Towards  that  deep  sulphureous  sea, 
Where  five  proud  cities  lie,  by  one  dire  sentence  drown'd." 

"  The  pascal  moon  above 

Seems  like  a  saint  to  rove, 
Left  shining  in  the  world  with  Christ  alone  ; 

Below,  the  lake's  wry  face 

Stirs  roughly  in  th'  embrace 
Of  mountains  terrac'd  high  with  mossy  stone." 

The  seer  had  watched  the  tossing  boat  and  the  toiling 
boatmen  through  the  weary  watches  of  the  night,  and 
then,  at  the  last,  in  the  extremity  of  their  distress,  he 
came  to  them. 

"  Be  of  good  cheer  ;  it  is  I ;  be  not  afraid." 
"  Lord,  if  it  be  thou,  bid  me  come  unto  thee  upon  the 
waters." 

Thus  spake  the  impulsive  Peter,  and  Jesus  bid  him 
come.  He  would  teach  him  by  an  experience  his  weak- 
ness and  dependence.  So  Peter  went  down  from  the 
boat,  walked  upon  the  water,  and  came  to  Jesus.  But 
the  boisterous  wind  frightened  him,  and  then  beginning 
to  sink,  he  cried  out : 
"  Lord,  save  me." 

Immediately  Jesus  took  hold  of  him,  and  said : 
"  O  thou  of  little  faith,  wherefore  didst  thou  doubt?" 
And  when  they  were  gone  up  into  the  boat,  the  dis- 


2io  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

ciples  worshipped  him,  the  wind  ceased,  the  day  dawned, 
and  they  found  themselves  at  the  land  Gennesaret,  at  the 
moorings  of  Capernaum. 

The  multitude  whom  Jesus  had  fed  and  afterwards  dis- 
persed came  together  again  in  the  morning,  asking, 
Where  is  the  Nazarene  whom  we  would  make  king  ? 
They  had  seen  him  send  his  disciples  away,  and  there 
was  no  other  boat  by  which  he  could  have  gone.  Yet 
he  was  nowhere  thereabout.  So,  taking  their  own  boats, 
and  others  which  had  been  driven  by  the  gale  from  Ti- 
berias to  the  north  shore,  they  returned  to  Capernaum, 
seeking  Jesus.  Having  at  last  found  him  in  the  Syna- 
gogue, whither  he  had  taken  refuge  from  the  gathering 
throngs,  they  asked  him  : 

"  Rabbi,  when  earnest  thou  hither  ?  "  62 

He  did  not  tell  them,  but  made  the  sharp  reply : 

"  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  ye  seek  me,  not  be- 
cause ye  saw  signs,  but  because  ye  ate  of  the  loaves  and 
were  filled.  Work  not  for  the  meat  which  perisheth,  but 
for  the  meat  which  abideth  unto  eternal  life." 

"  What  must  we  do,"  they  asked,  "  that  we  may  work 
that  work  ?  " 

"  Do  this,"  said  he,  "  believe  on  him  whom  God  hath 
sent." 

The  people  were  thoroughly  convinced  of  his  power, 
but  had  heard  it  attributed  to  magic  through  the  prince 
of  demons.  He  claimed,  however,  to  be  sent  of  God. 
Hence  they  made  the  old  oft-repeated  Jewish  demand  for 
a  sign  from  heaven,  such  as  Elijah  had  shown,  or  Moses 
who  had  given  the  fathers  bread  out  of  heaven.  But 
Jesus  objected,  and  then  declared  himself  to  be  that  sign, 
saying : 


THE  CLOSING  SCENES  211 

"  It  was  not  Moses,  but  my  Father ;  and  now  he  sends 
you  the  true  bread  out  of  heaven  which  giveth  life  unto 
the  world." 

Then,  like  the  woman  of  Samaria,  they  begged : 

"  Lord,  evermore  give  us  this  bread." 

Thereupon  Jesus  said  unto  them : 

"  I  am  the  bread  of  life ;  he  that  cometh  to  me  shall 
not  hunger,  and  he  that  believeth  on  me  shall  never 
thirst.  For  I  am  come  down  out  of  heaven,  not  to  do 
mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me." 

At  this  the  people  murmured  in  whispers,  saying  : 

"  Is  not  this  Jesus,  whose  father  and  mother  we  know  ? 
How  doth  he  come  out  of  heaven  ? " 

They  were  scandalized,  but  he  reiterated : 

"  I  am  the  living  bread  out  of  heaven ;  yea,  and  the 
bread  which  I  give  is  my  flesh." 

"  Now,"  said  they  one  to  another,  still  more  scandal- 
ized, "  how  can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh  to  eat?  " 

Jesus,  still  speaking  figuratively,  reaffirmed  : 

"  He  that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood  hath 
eternal  life.  This  is  the  bread  which  came  down  out  of 
heaven ;  he  that  eateth  this  bread  shall  live  forever." 

The  saying  was  more  than  the  dulled  ears  of  the  peo- 
ple could  bear.  So  they  departed  from  him  out  of  the 
Synagogue  offended.  A  signal  case  of  popular  fickle- 
ness. But  yesterday  perforce  to  be  their  king ;  now 
none  so  poor  to  do  him  reverence.63 

Even  many  of  his  disciples,  construing,  as  usual  also 
with  them,  his  figurative  speech  literally,  murmured 
among  themselves : 

"  This  is  a  hard  saying ;  who  can  bear  it  ?  " 

But  Jesus,  turning  to  them,  said  reprovingly : 


212  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

"  Doth  this  cause  you  also  to  stumble  ?  But  there  are 
some  of  you  that  believe  not." 

Upon  this  the  many  disciples  likewise  went  back  and 
away.     Jesus  said  therefore  unto  the  twelve: 

"  Would  ye  also  go  away  ?  " 

Simon  Peter  answered  promptly : 

"  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  ?  Thou  hast  the  words 
of  eternal  life.  And  we  have  believed  and  know  that 
thou  art  the  Holy  One  of  God." 

Unsoothed  by  this  noble  profession,  Jesus  answered 
bitterly : 

"  Did  not  I  choose  you  the  twelve  ?  And  one  even  of 
you  is  a  devil,  did{3oXo$." 

These,  perhaps,  were  the  harshest  words  he  ever  ut- 
tered. Their  caustic  acrimony  shows  how  deeply  he  was 
hurt  by  the  stupidity  of  the  seekers  after  loaves  and 
fishes,  and  by  the  defection  of  his  trained  disciples  who 
persisted  in  their  spiritual  blindness.  Humanly  speak- 
ing, he  was  disheartened  and  discouraged,  provoked  even 
to  painful  exasperation. 

Also  be  it  noted  that  this  speech  is  the  introduction  of 
Judas  into  the  gospel  story ;  for  heretofore  we  have  had 
only  his  name  as  one  of  the  chosen  twelve. 

Allusion  may  be  made  just  here  to  the  familiar  fact 
that  egotism  is  commonly  offensive.  The  great  authors 
are  free  from  it.  In  Plato's  thirty  or  more  Dialogues  it  is 
hardly  possible  to  find  a  trace  of  himself.  In  Shaks- 
peare's  Plays,  though  it  has  been  diligently  sought,  there 
is  no  trace  of  himself.  So  of  the  Evangelists.  St.  John 
in  his  Gospel  never  alludes  to  himself  except  of  histor- 
ical necessity  and  then  never  by  name.  For  one  to 
thrust  his  personality  frequently  on  others  is  at  least  in 


THE  CLOSING  SCENES  213 

bad  taste,  to  do  so  constantly  is  a  vice.  In  society  the 
habitual  egotist  is  disdained  and  shunned.  In  some 
notable  instances,  a  culminating  preposterous  expression 
has  been  derisively  preserved  by  history.  Said  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, Is  not  this  great  Babylon  that  I  have  built  ? 
In  that  same  hour  he  was  brought  low.  Caesar's  famous 
dispatch  to  the  Senate,  Veni,  vidi,  vici,  is  called  by 
Shakspeare  his  thrasonical  brag.  Wolsey's  arrogant  Ego 
et  rex  mens,  was  a  lever  in  his  overthrow.  The  vaunt  of 
the  boy  king,  Louis  XIV,  LEtat,  cest  moi,  was  charac- 
teristic of  his  long  reign.  And  Napoleon  while  at  St. 
Helena  said,  Alexander,  Caesar  and  I  founded  empires 
which  have  passed  away.  The  parable  of  The  Pharisee 
and  the  Publican  is  noteworthy  in  that  the  prayer  of  the 
haughty  self-conceited  Pharisee,  consisting  of  two  short 
sentences,  repeats  "  I  "  five  times,  and  each  time  it  is  the 
subject  of  a  verb ;  whereas  in  the  prayer  of  the  humble 
contrite  Publican  the  personal  pronoun  occurs  but  once, 
and  then  as  indirect  object. 

Now  observe  that  in  the  chapter  from  which  the  fore- 
going conversations  are  extracted,  within  the  compass  of 
thirty-three  verses  of  the  revised  version,  Jesus  used  the 
personal  pronoun  in  the  first  person  no  less  than  forty- 
three  times  ;  and  besides,  everything  that  he  says  is  con- 
cerning himself,  pressing  his  personality  upon  his  hear- 
ers. Moreover,  this  is  not  an  exceptional  case,  for 
throughout  the  Gospels  his  doctrine  constantly  is  :  And 
I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  myself.  Also  : 
I  and  the  Father  are  one ;  which  reads  very  like 
Wolsey's,  Ego  et  rex  mens.  So,  it  is  just  to  say,  that 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  the  most  incessant  and  intense 
egotist  in  all  history.  Such  egotism  in  any  mere  man, 
however  exalted  his  station,  would  be  intolerable,  nay 


214  HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 

more,  even  blasphemous.  Undoubtedly  it  was  an  element 
in  the  disaffection  of  his  dull  hearers.  But  does  his  ego- 
tism offend  us  ?  No,  not  at  all ;  for  the  reader  of  the 
Gospels,  even  the  casual  or  irreligious  reader,  is  so  power- 
fully impressed  by  his  superhuman  character,  wisdom  and 
power,  that  his  egotism  seems  natural  and  proper ;  and  it 
discloses  the  profound  truth  that  Christianity  is  less  a 
dogma  than  a  person,  that  Christianity  is  Christ. 

The  falling  away  of  the  people  and  many  disciples  from 
Jesus  was  immediately  followed  by  an  intrusion  of  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees  who  had  been  commissioned  from 
Jerusalem  to  serve  as  spies  and  detractors.  For  as  he 
with  the  twelve  was  on  his  way  home  from  the  Syn- 
agogue, these  emissaries,  rejoicing  in  the  defection  of  the 
great  body  of  his  adherents,  and  affecting  a  pious  zeal  to 
cloak  their  malice,  ask  him  the  carping  question : 

"  Why  do  thy  disciples  transgress  the  tradition  of 
the  elders  ?  For  they  wash  not  their  hands  when  they 
eat  bread."  w 

This  had  reference  to  the  ceremonial  ablutions,  which 
were  numerous,  enjoined  by  the  oral  law,  and  practiced 
by  all  the  Jews.  But  Jesus,  being  just  then  not  in  a 
conciliatory  mood,  answered  sharply,  denouncing  them  : 

"  Ye  hypocrites,  ye  make  the  word  of  God  void  by 
your  traditions." 

Then  turning  to  the  crowd  of  curious  listeners  that 
still  hung  about  him,  he  said  : 

"  Hear  and  understand :  Not  that  which  goeth  into 
the  mouth,  but  that  which  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth, 
defileth  the  man." 

When  he  had  entered  into  the  house,  one  of  the  twelve 
said  unto  him : 


THE  CLOSING  SCENES  215 

"  Knowest  thou  that  the  Pharisees  were  offended  by 
what  thou  saidst  to  them  ?  " 

"  Let  them  alone,"  he  replied,  "  they  be  blind  guides." 

Then  Peter  for  the  twelve  asked  an  explanation  of 
what  he  had  said.  It  was  given  along  with  the  sharp 
reproof : 

"  Are  ye  also  even  yet  without  understanding  ?  Per- 
ceive ye  not  that  whatsoever  from  without  goeth  into  the 
man,  it  cannot  defile  him  ?  But  the  things  which  pro- 
ceed out  of  the  man  come  forth  from  the  heart;  as, 
blasphemies,  also  murders,  adulteries,  thefts,  false  witness, 
covetings,  and  the  like.  These  are  the  things  which  de- 
file the  man;  but  to  eat  bread  with  unwashed  hands, 
defileth  not  the  man." 

Thus  closed  his  long  Galilean  Ministry. 


PART  FIFTH 


His  Exile 


XVII 
IN  PHOENICIA  AND  DECAPOLIS 

TWO  years  have  now  passed  since  Jesus  began 
in  Jerusalem  his  public  ministry  with  the  pur- 
gation of  the  Temple  at  his  first  Passover.  The 
third  Passover  is  now  at  hand,  April  16,  a.  d.,  29.  He 
decided  not  to  attend  this  Passover ;  for  he  knew  that  the 
hostility  of  the  Jews  of  Judea,  and  especially  of  the 
Sanhedrists  at  Jerusalem  whom  he  had  defied,  was  so 
intense  that  they  were  resolved  to  kill  him.  On 
previous  occasions,  his  popularity  with  the  vast  number 
of  Galilean  pilgrims  had  protected  him  from  violence,  the 
Sanhedrists  dreading  to  incite  a  riot.  But  now  that  this 
popularity  was  lost,  he  would  in  Jerusalem  be  an  easy 
victim  to  the  malevolence  of  his  deadly  enemies.  But 
his  hour  was  not  yet.  Hence  he  would  not  now  go  to 
Jerusalem.65 

The  Galileans  assembled  at  Capernaum  on  their  way  to 
the  feast  were  leaving  the  city  in  great  numbers,  going 
southward  through  Peraea.  In  a  day  or  two  the  city 
would  be  almost  deserted.  What  then?  Should  he 
await  their  return,  and  resume  his  work  ?  It  was  evi- 
dent that  his  profitable  ministry  of  a  year  and  a  third  in 
Galilee  had  come  to  an  end.  During  his  long  absences 
from  Capernaum,  the  Sanhedric  emissaries  had  sown 
tares  broadcast  in  the  field,  they  had  poisoned  the  air 
with  calumnies  that  infected  the  whole  region.  The 
mass  of  the  people,  with  whom  he  was  so  popular  at  the 
outset,  had  come  to  distrust  his  divine  commission,  and 

219 


220  HIS  EXILE 

to  look  upon  him  as  one  of  the  many  magicians  among 
them,  especially  powerful  only  because  of  demoniacal 
collusion ;  this  in  spite  of  the  beneficence  of  his  healing 
and  teaching.  Clearly  it  was  not  wise  in  this  case  to 
continue  the  sowing  of  pearls ;  not  wise  to  linger  and 
struggle  against  the  popular  tide.  Hence  he  further 
resolved  to  leave  the  country  for  a  time. 

When  a  babe  he  had  been  exiled  for  two  months  in 
Egypt.  Now  he  passed  into  an  exile  destined  to  last  six 
months.  Bidding  his  mother  farewell,  and  telling  her 
alone  of  his  intent,  he  privately  led  his  twelve  adherents 
northwestward  into  Phoenicia,  then  a  Roman  province, 
and  dwelt  for  some  months  in  the  neighborhood  of  its 
ancient  city  of  Tyre.  In  the  strict  privacy  of  this  restful 
retirement,  he  gave  the  twelve  disciples  special  and  much 
needed  instruction.  This  doubtless  was  its  chief  purpose, 
and  so  a  revival  of  the  early  Schools  of  the  Prophets. 

The  veil  of  silence  over  this  sojourn  of  about  four  and 
a  half  months  was  only  once,  near  its  close,  drawn  aside. 
Then  was  revealed  a  charming  incident.  On  a  certain 
occasion,  late  in  August,  as  the  teacher  and  his  pupils 
were  walking  and  talking  together,  like  the  peripatetics 
of  old,  in  a  grove  of  lofty  cedars  of  Lebanon,  a  woman, 
probably  a  widow,  who  had  heard  of  him,  came  after 
them  crying  repeatedly : 

"  Have  mercy  on  me,  O  Lord,  thou  son  of  David,  my 
little  daughter  is  grievously  vexed  with  a  demon."  M 

Now  the  woman  was  a  gentile,  a  Canaanitish  Syro- 
phcenician  by  race ;  yet  evidently  she  had  obtained  some- 
how a  knowledge  of  Jesus,  of  his  royal  claim,  and  of  his 
divine  power.  But  to  her  piteous  appeals  he  answered 
not  a  word.     Her  incessant  importunity  annoyed  the  dis- 


IN  PHOENICIA  AND  DECAPOLIS        221 

ciples.  It  interrupted  their  pious  meditation  and  conver- 
sation. So  they  selfishly  besought  him  to  grant  her 
petition,  and  thus  be  rid  of  her,  saying  : 

"  Send  her  away ;  for  she  crieth  after  us." 

"  I  was  not  sent,"  he  sternly  replied, "  but  unto  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel." 

Then  he  sought  refuge  from  the  clamor  and  turmoil 
by  privately  entering  a  house  on  the  way.  But  he  could 
not  be  hid  from  the  eye  of  the  mother.  Straightway  she 
followed  him  into  the  house,  and  like  to  Jacob  wrestling 
with  this  very  angel  for  a  blessing,  she  fell  upon  her 
knees  at  his  feet,  saying : 

"  Lord,  help  me." 

Observe  that  here,  as  in  her  first  prayer,  she  identifies 
herself  with  her  daughter.  The  little  girl's  affliction  is 
the  mother's  affliction.  Her  pain  is  my  pain,  help  me. 
True  maternal  instinct.  But  Jesus,  apparently  unmoved, 
repelled  her  with  the  rough  words  : 

"  Let  the  children  first  be  filled ;  for  it  is  not  meet  to 
take  the  children's  loaf  and  cast  it  to  little  dogs." 

Certainly  this  was  a  hard  saying  ;  who  could  bear  it  ? 
Only  a  pleading  mother  perhaps.  It  was  sharply  put  as 
a  sharp  test  of  her  faith.  She  stood  the  test.  The  gentle 
humility  of  her  reply,  and  its  exquisitely  feminine  adroit- 
ness, have  made  it  famous. 

"  Yea,  Lord ;  yet  even  the  little  dogs  may  eat  of  the 
children's  crumbs  which  fall  from  the  master's  table." 

Jesus  was  pleased  with  her  reply,  and  commending  its 
form,  said : 

"  O  woman,  great  is  thy  faith.  For  this  thy  saying, 
go  thy  way ;  the  demon  is  gone  from  thy  daughter." 

And  she  went  away  unto  her  house,  and  found  the 
child  laid  upon  the  bed  already  healed. 


222  HIS  EXILE 

In  one  other  case  only  did  Jesus  pronounce  a  person's 
faith  to  be  great,  the  case  of  the  Roman  centurion  at 
Capernaum.  The  one  was  a  man,  the  other  a  woman ; 
both  were  heathen. 

Evidently  the  privacy  thus  far  maintained  was  broken. 
The  fame  of  the  Nazarene  had  been  spread  throughout 
that  region,  but  his  presence  was  unknown.  Now  he 
could  no  longer  be  hid.  A  few  days,  a  few  hours,  would 
bring  crowds  of  people  from  the  city  and  country.  The 
summer  school  was  at  an  end.  So  the  Master  and  his 
pupils  took  up  each  his  wallet  and  wander-staff  and  de- 
parted from  the  vicinity  of  Tyre.  It  was  towards  the 
first  of  September.  They  journeyed  coastwise  north- 
ward, crossed  the  Leontes  River,  passed  by  Sarepta,  where 
Elijah  had  in  like  manner  miraculously  blessed  the  home 
of  a  poor  widow,  and  passed  through  the  city  of  Sidon. 
They  then  turned  eastward,  crossed  the  two  Lebanon 
mountain  ranges  near  the  source  of  the  Jordan  a  little 
north  of  Mt.  Hermon,  and  descended  into  the  plains  of 
Decapolis. 

This  was  an  indefinite  region  called  Decapolis  because 
comprising  ten  cities.  The  inhabitants  were  mostly 
Greeks.  It  extended  from  Damascus  southward,  east  of 
the  upper  Jordan  and  the  Galilean  lake,  thus  including 
the  cities  Gerasa  and  Gadara,  into  Peraea  to  include 
Pella,  and  finally  into  lower  Galilee  to  include  Scythop- 
olis. 

The  travellers  probably  followed  the  rivers  of  Damascus 
extolled  by  Naaman  the  Syrian,  lingered  in  the  gardens 
enwreathing  the  famous  city,  bid  it  farewell  from  the 
overlooking  height  where  Saul  of  Tarsus  afterwards  met 
the  Master,  and  then  pursued  their  way  homewards. 


IN  PHOENICIA  AND  DECAPOLIS         223 

When  they  reached  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake  of 
Galilee  where  Legion  had  been  exorcised,  certain  ones 
brought  to  Jesus  a  deaf  stammerer,  beseeching  him  to 
lay  his  hand  on  him.  Taking  him  aside  from  the  com- 
pany privately,  Jesus  touched  his  tongue,  put  his  fingers 
into  his  ears,  and  looking  up  to  heaven,  sighed,  and  said, 
Ephphatha  (Be  opened).  And  his  ears  were  opened, 
and  the  bond  of  his  tongue  was  loosed,  and  he  spake 
plainly.  Jesus  charged  them  to  tell  no  man ;  then  wish- 
ing to  be  alone,  he  ascended  one  of  the  overlooking 
heights,  and  sat  there,  gazing  wistfully  across  the  lake 
towards  his  home.67 

Heedless  of  his  injunction,  the  people  published  the 
presence  of  the  Nazarene  and  the  new  miracle,  saying, 
He  hath  done  all  things  well.  And  there  came  unto 
him  great  multitudes,  bringing  the  lame,  blind,  dumb, 
maimed,  and  many  others,  laying  them  down  at  his  feet. 
And  he  healed  them  all.  The  multitudes  wondered,  and 
even  the  many  heathen  Greeks  glorified  the  God  of  Israel, 
when  they  saw  the  lame  walking,  the  dumb  speaking, 
the  blind  seeing,  and  the  maimed  who  had  lost  limbs, 
made  whole  by  a  new  supply.  This  was  the  last  of  his 
lavish  healings  wherein  great  numbers  without  distinc- 
tion of  person  or  ailment,  were  together  and  at  once 
restored. 

This  lavish  healing  occupied  some  days,  for  many 
companies  came  from  different  distances,  as  the  news 
reached  them,  in  succession.  Naturally  they  lingered 
near  the  healer,  but  in  their  haste  they  had  not  made 
provision  for  long  stay.  So  Jesus  called  unto  him  his 
disciples,  and  said  : 

"  I  have  compassion  on  the  multitude,  because  they 


224  HIS  EXILE 

continue  with  me  now  three  days,  and  have  nothing  to 
eat.  I  would  not  send  them  away  fasting  to  their  homes, 
lest  they  faint  in  the  way ;  and  some  of  them  are  come 
from  far."  ■ 

Then  followed  a  miraculous  feeding  of  the  multitude, 
very  similar  to  that  which  took  place  about  five  months 
before  near  Bethsaida  Julias,  north  of  the  lake.  This 
multitude,  however,  numbered  only  four  thousand  men, 
beside  women  and  children. 

The  refreshed  multitude  was  then  promptly  dismissed, 
and  Jesus,  longing  for  quiet  and  for  his  own  people  and 
his  home,  took  a  boat  with  his  disciples  to  cross  the  lake. 
If  during  his  disappearance  his  pharisaic  enemies  had 
dispersed,  he  could  hope  for  the  needed  respite.  He  gave 
order  to  land  a  mile  or  more  south  of  Capernaum,  intend- 
ing to  enter  the  city  circuitously  and  privately.  But  no 
sooner  had  the  prow  touched  the  land,  and  Jesus  stepping 
ashore  had  passed  through  the  thicket  of  oleanders  that 
hedged  the  western  coast,  than  there  they  were  facing 
him,  and  taunting  him  with  the  old  test,  said : 

"  Master,  show  thou  us  a  sign  from  heaven." 69 

Doubtless  they  had  heard  of  his  presence  on  the 
eastern  shore,  and  were  watchful  for  his  crossing.  Jesus 
denounced  their  generation,  and  again  refused  any  sign 
other  than  his  resurrection.  Then  sick  at  heart  he 
turned  back,  reentered  the  boat,  and  ordered  the  dis- 
ciples to  set  sail  again.  While  sailing  away  he  said  to 
them  : 

"  Take  heed  and  beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees 
and  Sadducees  and  Herod." 

The  simple  minded  disciples  as  usual  interpreted  this 
literally,  and  reasoned  among   themselves,  saying,   We 


IN  PHCENICIA  AND  DECAPOLIS        225 

took  no  bread.  Indeed  they  had  with  them  but  one 
loaf,  such  was  their  poverty  and  haste.  But  the  word 
of  Jesus  had  no  reference  to  this  scant  provision,  which, 
as  they  had  seen,  he  was  able  to  multiply  abundantly ; 
so,  perceiving  their  error,  he  scolded  them  roundly  for 
their  stupidity  and  mistrust. 

The  boat  was  sailing  northward,  towards  the  upper  end 
of  the  lake.  Soon  Capernaum  came  in  sight  with  its 
suburbs  Chorazin  and  Bethsaida.  The  proud  central 
city  receded  from  the  shore,  then  surrounding  the  great 
marble  Synagogue,  and  climbing  the  heights  beyond, 
seemed,  at  that  lofty  horizon,  to  mingle  with  the  sky.70 

Jesus,  standing  on  the  prow  of  his  smoothly  gliding 
boat,  gazed  sadly  on  the  passing  city  he  had  blessed,  but 
whose  day  of  grace  was  gone,  and  with  a  reminiscence  of 
the  heathen  cities  he  had  lately  seen,  thus  apostrophized 
his  own : 

"  Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin  !  woe  unto  thee,  Bethsaida  ! 
For,  if  the  mighty  works  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and 
Sidon  which  were  done  in  you,  they  would  have  repented 
long  ago,  sitting  in  sackcloth  and  ashes.  Howbeit  it 
shall  be  more  tolerable  for  Tyre  and  Sidon  in  the  day  of 
judgment,  than  for  you.  And  thou,  Capernaum,  shalt 
thou  be  exalted  unto  heaven  ?  Thou  shalt  be  brought 
down  unto  Hades.  For,  if  the  mighty  works  had  been 
done  in  Sodom  which  were  done  in  thee,  it  would  have 
remained  until  this  day.  Howbeit  I  say  unto  thee,  that 
it  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  the  land  of  Sodom  in  the 
day  of  judgment,  than  for  thee." 

For  many  centuries  down  to  this  day  the  district  of 
Gennesaret  has  been  desolate,  and  of  the  city,  Capernaum, 
not  even  the  site  can  be  exactly  determined. 


XVIII 
IN  THE  REGION  OF  MT.  HERMON 

THE  boat  landed  just  to  the  right  of  the  mouth 
of  upper  Jordan.  That  was  the  last  time  Jesus 
was  borne  upon  the  bosom  of  his  lake.  He 
stepped  ashore,  and  with  the  twelve  went  northward, 
across  the  green  meadows  where  he  had  fed  the  thou- 
sands, to  Bethsaida  Julias. 

There  a  blind  man  from  the  country  was  brought  to 
him  with  the  usual  petition.  Jesus,  too  tender  hearted 
to  refuse,  but  still  wishing  to  avoid  a  popular  stir,  took 
him  kindly  by  the  hand  and  led  him  out  of  the  village  to 
a  private  place,  then  having  laid  his  hands  upon  his  eyes, 
asked,  seest  thou  aught  ?  I  see  men  as  trees  walking, 
replied  the  man.  The  touch  was  renewed,  and  the  man 
saw  clearly.  Then  Jesus  sent  him  away  to  his  home, 
forbidding  him  to  return  to  the  village.  As  with  the 
deaf  stammerer,  Jesus  here  used  means,  perhaps  as  a  help 
to  faith.  The  first  partial  recovery,  suggesting  difficulty, 
is  inexplicable.71 

The  refugees  were  now  in  the  domain  of  Herod  Philip 
II.  Pursuing  their  way  northward,  and  passing  by  the 
Caesarea  where  Philip  held  his  court,  they  came,  about 
twelve  miles  beyond,  to  the  foot  of  Mt.  Hermon,  (the 
Peak).  This  is  the  southern  end  of  the  Anti-Libanus 
range,  the  water-shed  giving  rise  to  the  Jordan,  Leontes 
and  Orontes  Rivers,  and  to  the  rivers  of  Damascus.     The 

226 


IN  THE  REGION  OF  MT.  HERMON       227 

Peak  was  thus  the  topographical  centre  of  the  whole 
region  of  Palestine  and  Syria  at  their  boundary,  this 
highest  point  rising  9,500  feet  above  ocean-level,  and 
visible  even  from  the  Dead  Sea.  Its  summit  is  covered 
with  eternal  snow;  hence  the  Sidonians  named  it  Sirion, 
(the  Breastplate),  from  the  rounded  snowy  top  glittering 
in  the  sun.  The  Arabs  call  it  Ice  Mountain,  and  White- 
haired  Mountain,  the  latter  referring  to  the  long  streaks 
of  snow  in  the  ravines  radiating  like  hoary  locks  from 
the  head.     It  is  the  Mt.  Blanc  of  the  East, — 

"  The  monarch  of  the  mountains, 
They  crowned  him  long  ago, 
On  a  throne  of  rock,  in  a  robe  of  clouds, 
With  a  diadem  of  snow." 

In  the  secluded  valleys  among  the  foot-hills  and  smaller 
mountains  around  about  the  base  of  Hermon,  Jesus  with 
the  twelve  took  refuge,  and  found  quiet  and  rest.  He 
lingered  in  that  wild  and  desolate  region  for  at  least  a 
week.  Soon  after  reaching  the  retreat  he  asked  the 
apostles,  Who  do  men  say  that  I  am  ?  After  various 
replies,  he  further  asked,  But  who  say  ye  that  I  am  ? 
Peter,  stepping  to  the  front,  answered  promptly  with 
assurance  : 

"  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."72 

Jesus  approvingly  declared  this  to  be  a  special  revela- 
tion from  his  Father,  but  charged  the  apostles  to  keep  it 
secret.  Also  he  spoke  now  for  the  first  time  of  his 
future  Church,  laying  its  foundation,  in  these  words, 
addressed  directly  to  Simon  Peter : 

"  And  I  also  say  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter,  and 
upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church." 

This  saying  may  have  been  suggested  by  a  view  of  a 


228  HIS  EXILE 

temple  to  Augustus  built  by  Herod  the  Great  in  this 
region  on  a  rock  whence  the  springs  of  the  Jordan  issue. 
But  it  is  impossible  not  to  see  therein  a  play  upon  the 
surname  Peter  (a  Rock) ;  and  hence  these  words,  latinized, 
are  inscribed  around  the  interior  of  the  dome  of  St. 
Peter's  at  Rome.  They  have  been  the  subject  of  various 
exegeses  from  the  early  years  of  the  Church  until  now. 
He  added  a  promise  to  him  of  the  Power  of  the  Keys, 
which  also  has  been  a  subject  of  various  interpretation 
and  of  bitter  contention,  especially  since  the  Protestant 
Reformation. 

Then  Jesus  began  to  tell  his  disciples  how  that  he,  the 
Son  of  man,  must  go  unto  Jerusalem,  and  suffer  many 
things  of  the  elders  and  chief  priests  and  scribes,  and  be 
killed,  and  the  third  day  be  raised  up.  He  entered  now 
into  the  shadow  of  the  cross.  The  disciples  were 
shocked,  and  perplexed  by  this  apparent  revulsion  from 
his  Christhood.  Peter,  elated  perhaps  by  the  approval  of 
his  great  confession  just  made,  had  the  audacity  to  take 
hold  of  his  Lord,  and,  though  gently  and  lovingly,  to 
contradict  him,  saying  : 

"  Be  it  far  from  thee,  Lord ;  this  shall  never  be  unto 
thee."  73 

But  Jesus  turned  upon  him  sharply  with  the  stern 
rebuke : 

"  Begone  behind  me,  Satan ;  thou  art  a  stumbling- 
block  unto  me." 

This  is  very  severe,  and  in  extreme  and  violent  con- 
trast with  his  words  to  Peter  a  few  moments  before.  It 
must  not  be  regarded  as  merely  a  calling  of  harsh  names. 
Nor  is  his  using  the  same  formula  as  that  closing  the 
great  temptation  in  the  wilderness,  merely  a  reminiscence. 
Rather,  Satan,  invisible  to  all  save  divine  eyes,  himself 


IN  THE  REGION  OF  MT.  HERMON       229 

was  here  present,  for  the  moment  in  possession  of  Peter, 
whose  tongue  he  used  to  lay  before  Jesus,  in  the  language 
of  love,  a  new  and  scandalizing  temptation  on  the  first 
mention  of  the  Passion.  Again  he  was  promptly  and 
with  authority  repelled ;  and  Peter  shrank  back  abashed. 
Moreover,  this  decided  rebuke  indicates  not  only  that 
he  was  willing  to  fulfill  his  commission,  but  that  he  de- 
sired, and  even  was  anxious  for  the  decease  which  he 
was  to  accomplish  at  Jerusalem.  He  looked  forward 
longingly  and  lovingly  to  the  day  of  sacrificial  redemp- 
tion. Though  he  was  to  be  the  victim,  not  of  bodily 
suffering  only,  but  of  injustice,  yet  the  natural,  human 
dread  of  contumely,  pain  and  death  was  overborne  by 
the  great  love  wherewith  he  loved  us ;  and  thus  he  was 
not  impelled,  but  was  attracted  towards  the  cross. 

The  week  passed.  In  the  evening  of  its  close,  Jesus, 
leaving  the  house  of  their  abode,  took  Peter,  and  the 
brothers  James  and  John,  the  three  nearest  to  him  in 
heart  and  thought,  apart  up  into  a  high  mountain.  This 
doubtless  was  not  the  great  central  mountain  itself,  but  a 
neighboring  height,  a  spur  of  Hermon.  From  the  sum- 
mit of  this  lesser  height,  looking  along  the  Jordan  valley, 
they  might  see  the  silvery  sheen  of  his  consecrated  lake, 
a  mirror  of  the  sky.  Before  them  towered  the  majestic 
Hermon,  its  base  expanding  over  the  confine  of  Jewish 
and  Gentile  lands,  its  lofty  summit  of  eternal  snow  gleam- 
ing under  its  blue  canopy  in  the  sunset  glow,  like  to  the 
great  white  throne.     The  four  bowed  in  prayer.74 

When  the  tide  of  night  rising  from  the  valleys  had 
overflowed  the  mountains,  the  three  disciples,  men  of 
simple  habits,  were  overcome  by  drowsiness.  But  in  the 
midnight  they  were  awakened  by  a  great  light  shining 


230  HIS  EXILE 

about  them.  Jesus  had  continued  in  prayer,  and  now 
while  he  was  yet  praying,  he  was  transfigured  before 
them ;  his  face  did  shine  as  the  sun,  and  his  garments 
became  glistening,  exceeding  white  and  dazzling,  white  as 
the  light.  And  behold,  there  appeared  unto  them  two 
men,  which  were  Moses  and  Elijah,  talking  with  him, 
and  speaking  of  his  decease  (departure,  exodus)  which  he 
was  about  to  accomplish  (fulfill)  at  Jerusalem.  And  it 
came  to  pass  as  they  were  parting  from  him,  Peter,  dazed 
and  bewildered,  yet  eager  to  prolong  indefinitely  the 
vision  of  celestial  glory,  said  unto  Jesus  : 

"  Master,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here ;  and,  if  thou 
wilt,  I  will  make  here  three  tabernacles,  one  for  thee,  and 
one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elijah." 

While  he  was  yet  speaking,  there  came  a  bright  cloud 
and  overshadowed  them ;  and  they  feared  as  they 
entered  into  the  cloud.  And  behold,  a  voice  out  of  the 
cloud,  saying : 

"  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  my  chosen,  in  whom  I  am 
well  pleased  ;  hear  ye  him." 

And  when  the  disciples  heard  it,  they  fell  on  their 
face,  and  were  sore  afraid.  And  Jesus  came  and  gently 
touched  them,  and  said,  Arise,  and  be  not  afraid.  And 
lifting  up  their  eyes  they  saw  no  one  save  Jesus  only. 

And  as  they  were  coming  down  out  of  the  mountain, 
Jesus  charged  them,  saying,  Tell  the  vision  to  no  man 
until  the  Son  of  man  be  risen  from  the  dead.  And  his 
disciples  asked  him,  Why  then  say  the  Scribes  that 
Elijah  must  first  come?  He  answered,  Elijah  is  come 
already.  Then  they  understood  that  he  spake  of  John 
the  Baptist. 

This  extraordinary  scene,  The  Transfiguration,  is  full 
of   mysteries.     It    will   bear   but   little   comment.     The 


IN  THE  REGION  OF  MT.  HERMON       231 

representatives  of  the  Law,  the  Prophets,  and  the  Gos- 
pel, the  Old  and  the  New,  each  of  whom  attested  his 
special  commission  from  the  court  of  heaven  by  great 
miracles,  held  converse  on  the  central  fact  in  the  history 
of  redemption.  As  at  Gethsemane,  the  visitation  no 
doubt  brought  comfort,  and  strengthened  the  resolution 
of  the  Man  relatively  to  his  prospective  suffering,  which 
resolution  was  confirmed  by  the  Voice  repeating  the 
heavenly  utterance  concerning  him  made  at  his  baptism. 
The  faith  of  the  disciples  who  were  favored  as  witnesses 
would  also  be  confirmed  immovably;  and  this  would 
steady  any  wavering  among  the  rest,  though  for  the 
coming  half  year  they  could  not  be  told.  The  place 
where  the  event  occurred  seems  fitting ;  for  as  Mt.  Her- 
mon  is  the  culminating  centre  of  the  region,  so  the 
Transfiguration  is  the  culmination  of  the  history,  which 
henceforth  descends  through  the  valley  of  humiliation 
unto  death. 

On  the  next  day,  when  they  were  come  down  from 
the  mountain,  a  crowd  of  people  met  him.  News  had 
gone  abroad  that  the  Nazarene,  the  great  healer,  was  in 
the  mountains  near  Hermon  ;  and  a  man  of  that  country, 
accompanied  by  friends  and  others,  had  brought  for  heal- 
ing his  son,  a  demoniac,  deaf  and  dumb,  and  epileptic. 
In  the  absence  of  Jesus,  the  disciples  had  tried  to  heal 
him,  and  failed.  When  the  father  saw  Jesus  coming,  he 
ran,  and  kneeling  to  him,  said  : 

"  Master,  I  beseech  thee  to  look  upon  my  son,  my  only 
child.  He  is  grievously  afflicted.  If  thou  canst  do  any- 
thing, have  compassion  on  us,  and  help  us."  75 

"  If  thou  canst !  "  exclaimed  Jesus.  "  All  things  are 
possible  to  him  that  believeth." 


232  HIS  EXILE 

Straightway  the  father  cried  out,  and  said  with  tears : 

"  Lord,  I  believe ;  help  thou  mine  unbelief." 

"  Bring  hither  thy  son,"  replied  Jesus. 

As  he  was  coming,  the  demon  convulsed  him  griev- 
ously ;  then,  at  the  word  of  command,  came  out,  but  left 
the  child  as  one  dead.  But  Jesus  took  him  by  the  hand, 
and  raised  him  up  ;  and  he  arose,  healed. 

When  Jesus  was  come  into  the  house,  his  disciples 
asked  him  privately,  Why  could  not  we  cast  it  out  ?  He 
replied,  Because  of  your  little  faith.  Howbeit  this  kind 
can  come  out  by  nothing,  save  by  prayer. 

The  extreme  contrast  between  this  scene  of  a  struggle 
with  satanic  power,  and  the  one  immediately  preceding, 
should  be  remarked.  Here  the  divine,  the  human,  and 
the  demonic  come  close  together.  Raphael,  in  his  great- 
est and  last  picture,  which  with  paint  not  dry  was  carried 
as  a  banner  at  his  funeral,  brought,  with  artistic  license, 
the  former  and  the  first  part  of  the  latter  scene  upon  one 
canvas,  thus  heightening  the  effect  by  juxtaposition. 
This  design  has  become  so  familiar  that  we  all  see  it  as 
depicted  by  this  great  artist,  and  perhaps  no  worthier 
visual  representation  is  possible. 

It  was  now  about  the  first  of  October  in  the  year  29. 
The  exile  had  continued  for  six  months.  Then  Jesus 
decided  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  through  Capernaum.  As  he 
with  the  twelve  was  on  the  way  homewards,  he  again 
predicted  his  Passion  in  plain  literal  terms.  The  disciples 
were  sorry,  but  did  not  understand,  and  were  afraid  to 
ask  questions.  Apparently  they  construed  his  saying 
figuratively,  in  an  opposite  sense  ;  for,  falling  a  little  be- 
hind, they  got  into  a  dispute  amongst  themselves  as  to 
which  of  them  should  be  higher  than  others,  and  which 


IN  THE  REGION  OF  MT.  HERMON      233 

highest  in  official  rank  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  which 
he  was  now  going  to  set  up.76 

When  they  reached  Capernaum,  and  Jesus  had  gone 
into  the  house,  Peter  was  stopped  at  the  door  by  a  couple 
of  men  who  were  collectors  of  the  regular  contribution 
to  the  current  expenses  of  the  Temple,  and  asked : 

"  Doth  not  your  Master  pay  the  usual  half-shekel  ?  " 77 

Peter  promptly  answered,  Yes ;  though  he  knew  there 
was  not  that  much,  about  thirty-one  cents,  left  in  the 
purse.  Telling  the  collectors  to  wait,  he  went  into  the 
house,  and  stood  in  the  Master's  presence,  troubled 
and  abashed.  Jesus  anticipated  him,  and  smilingly 
asked : 

11  What  thinkest  thou,  Simon,  concerning  earthly 
kings ;  do  they  gather  tribute  from  their  sons,  or  from 
strangers  ?  " 

When  Peter  replied,  From  strangers,  Jesus  added  : 

"  Then  are  the  sons  free." 

From  him,  the  Son  of  the  King,  nothing  was  due  for 
the  support  of  the  Palace.  But,  rather  than  give  offense, 
he  told  Peter  to  go  to  the  lake  and  cast  a  hook,  and  that 
in  the  mouth  of  the  first  fish  taken,  he  should  find  a 
shekel.  That  take,  said  he,  and  give  unto  them  for  me 
and  thee. 

Often  it  is  reasonable  to  allow  the  unreasonable,  rather 
than  offend. 

Matthew,  who  alone  tells  this  pretty  incident,  naively 
neglects  the  sequel,  as  of  course  fulfilled. 

When  the  twelve  were  assembled  in  the  house,  Jesus 
asked  them,  What  were  ye  disputing  in  the  way  ?  They 
held  their  peace  ashamed.  Then  he  called  a  little  child 
to  his  side,  and  took  him  in  his  arms,  and  said  : 

"  Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  turn,  and  become  as 


234  HIS  EXILE 

little  children,  ye  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  heaven."78 

This  object  lesson  was  followed  by  an  instructive  dis- 
course upon  humility,  offenses,  and  forgiveness,  illustrated 
by  the  parable  of  The  Merciless  Servant.  The  principles 
therein  expounded  reverse  the  standards  of  antiquity, 
peculiarly  characterize  Christianity,  and  are  leavening  the 
ideals  of  humanity. 

Jesus  spent  only  a  few  days  in  Capernaum  privately 
with  his  mother.  Now  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  was  at 
hand,  and  some  of  his  so-called  brethren,  his  cousins, 
who  were  unbelievers,  taunted  him  with,  Depart  into 
Judea;  be  not  secret;  manifest  thyself  openly  to  the 
world.  To  this  Jesus  replied,  Go  ye  up  unto  the  feast ; 
I  go  not  up  yet,  because  my  time  is  not  yet  come.79 

After  they  and  most  others  were  gone,  and  the  time 
for  the  beginning  of  the  feast,  October  nth,  had  come, 
he  sent  messengers  before  him  to  provide  lodgings  in 
Samaria,  through  which  for  greater  privacy  he  would 
pass.  For  his  only  safe  course  was  to  go  up  secretly, 
and  throw  himself  unexpectedly  into  the  crowds  in  the 
Temple  where  the  dread  of  a  riot  would  hold  his  enemies 
in  check.  The  messengers  were  repulsed  by  the  Samar- 
itans of  a  certain  village,  because  he  was  going  to  Jeru- 
salem. When  at  his  coming  this  was  reported  to  him, 
James  and  John,  young  men  of  quick,  high  temper,  were 
especially  indignant,  and  proposed  to  call  down  fire  from 
heaven,  as  Elijah  did,  to  consume  them.  But  Jesus  re- 
buked them,  and  turned  painfully  away  to  seek  another 
village. 

Then  came  one,  a  Scribe,  saying,  Master,  I  will  follow 
thee  whithersoever  thou  goest.     But  Jesus  answered  sadly : 


IN  THE  REGION  OF  MT.  HERMON       235 

"  The  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  sky  have 
nests  ;  but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his 
head." 

Thus  ends  the  story  of  his  exile.  He  was  despised  at 
Jerusalem,  and  rejected  at  Capernaum ;  and  even  a  Sa- 
maritan village  scorned  him.  Therefore  his  nation,  his 
people,  his  own  to  whom  he  came  and  who  received  him 
not,  have  passed  into  an  exile  lasting  through  the  cen- 
turies, reaching  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

"  And  where  shall  Israel  lave  her  bleeding  feet  ? 
And  when  shall  Zion's  songs  again  seem  sweet  ? 

"  Tribes  of  the  wandering  foot  and  weary  breast, 
Where  shall  ye  flee  and  find  a  place  of  rest  ? 

"  The  wild  dove  hath  her  nest,  the  fox  his  cave, 
Mankind  their  country,  Israel  but  the  grave." 


PART  SIXTH 


His  Second  Judean  Ministry 


XIX 

THE  WORK  IN  JERUSALEM 

THIS  annual  feast  commemorated  the  wandering 
in  the  deserts  after  the  exodus  from  Egypt,  dur- 
ing which  wandering  the  people  dwelt  in  booths 
or  tents  or  tabernacles.  It  took  place  in  the  fall,  six 
months  after  the  Passover,  and  occupied  a  week.  Dur- 
ing the  week  the  people  of  Jerusalem  dwelt  in  arbors 
made  of  myrtle,  pine  and  olive  branches,  erected  on  the 
flat  roofs  of  their  homes,  while  the  many  thousands  of 
pilgrims  dwelt  in  similar  booths  in  the  open  streets,  on 
top  the  encircling  city  wall,  and  on  the  slopes  of  the 
mountains  that  are  about  Jerusalem.  See  the  holy  city 
robed  in  festal  green,  crowned  with  a  garland,  and  her 
rocky  environs  changed  to  a  vast  pleasure  garden.  The 
courts  of  the  Temple  were  daily  thronged  with  festive 
worshippers,  clad  in  gay-colored  holiday  costume ;  the 
history  of  the  wandering  was  read ;  the  silver  trumpets 
sounded ;  the  great  Hallel  was  sung  by  the  multitude, 
waving  palm  branches,  and  following  with  their  eyes  the 
smoke  of  the  sacrifice  as  it  rolled  upwards  to  the  skies. 

At  the  feast  in  October  of  the  year  29,  the  Jews  of 
the  temple  party  sought  for  Jesus,  asking,  Where  is  he? 
They  wished  to  gratify  their  enmity.  The  multitude, 
divided  in  opinion,  spoke  much  of  him,  but  in  whispers, 
for  fear  of  the  rulers.  This  dark  thread  was  interwoven 
with  the  festivity.80 

About  the  middle  of  the  week,  Jesus  entered  the 
239 


240        HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

Temple,  and  taking  a  seat  under  one  of  the  colonnades, 
began  to  teach.  He  was  not  at  once  recognized  by 
those  who  heard  him,  and  they  wondered  at  the  scholarly 
wisdom  of  one  unknown  to  their  schools.  But  the 
teacher  had  no  wish  to  dissemble.  So  after  some  words 
of  self-abnegation  and  reproof,  he  asked : 

"  Why  seek  ye  to  kill  me  ?  " 

"  Thou  hast  a  demon,"  was  the  rude  retort.  "  Who 
seeketh  to  kill  thee  ?  " 

The  teacher  replied  with  some  pointed  logic  relative 
to  his  having  healed  a  man  there  eighteen  months  before 
on  the  Sabbath,  for  which  he  had  been  arraigned  by  the 
Sanhedrin.  This  revealed  him.  The  report  of  the  pres- 
ence of  the  famous  and  despised  Nazarene  spread.  It 
reached  the  Sanhedrists,  who  sent  some  of  the  Levitical 
temple-guards  to  arrest  him.  But  when  these  heard  him 
for  themselves,  and  saw  the  favor  of  the  multitude,  they 
dared  not.     And  Jesus  unmolested  left  the  Temple. 

When  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  of  the  Sanhedrin 
demanded  of  the  guards,  Why  did  ye  not  bring  him  ? 
they  answered  indirectly  but  very  thoughtfully,  Never 
man  so  spake.  The  court,  exasperated,  was  about  to 
pass  sentence  ;  but  Nicodemus  protested  : 

"  Doth  our  law  judge  a  man  unheard  ?  " 

They  turned  upon  him  fiercely  with : 

"  Art  thou  also  of  Galilee  ?  Search,  and  see  that  out 
of  Galilee  ariseth  no  prophet." 

Their  rage  blinded  them  to  Jonah,  Nahum,  and  Hosea, 
and  perhaps  also  Elijah  himself,  of  Galilee.  The  protest 
however  availed,  and  the  Court  adjourned. 

On  the  last,  the  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus  again 
entered  the  Temple,  and  proclaimed : 


THE  WORK  IN  JERUSALEM  241 

"  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink." 81 

This  possibly  had  reference  to  the  profuse  libations  at 
the  altar.  Some  who  heard  him  said,  Of  a  truth  this  is 
the  Christ ;  but  others  said,  What,  doth  Christ  come  out 
of  Galilee  ?     So  there  arose  a  division  among  them. 

Then  Jesus  went  into  the  Treasury,  the  eastern  court 
of  the  enclosure  of  the  Sanctuary,  where  stood  certain 
lofty  candelabra.  Probably  with  reference  to  these,  he 
further  proclaimed : 

"  I  am  the  light  of  the  world." 

He  was  at  once  rudely  interrupted  by  the  Pharisees 
who,  offended  perhaps  by  his  arrogant  egotism,  charged 
him  with  falsehood.  Then  followed  a  contention,  grow- 
ing more  and  more  bitter.  Jesus  claimed  his  Father  as 
a  witness  to  his  truth.  They  asked  him,  Where  is  thy 
father  ?     Who  art  thou  ?     He  answered : 

"  When  ye  have  lifted  up  the  Son  of  man,  then  shall 
ye  know  that  I  am." 

This  phrase  "  I  am,"  here  repeated,  was  to  the  Jews 
an  enigma  and  a  stumbling-block.  Yet  of  the  multitude 
many  believed,  and  to  them  he  said : 

"  If  ye  abide  in  my  word,  ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and 
the  truth  shall  make  you  free." 

To  this  others  objected  haughtily  and  mendaciously : 

"  We  be  Abraham's  seed,  and  have  never  yet  been  in 
bondage  to  any  man." 

They  discarded  their  four  centuries  of  slavery  in  Egypt, 
their  seventy  years  of  captivity  in  Babylon,  their  century 
and  a  half  of  subjection  to  the  Oriental  Greeks,  and  their 
then  present  political  bondage  to  Rome,  signalized  by 
the  tower  of  Antonia  frowning  over  the  temple,  and  its 
Roman  garrison,  deployed  with  short  swords  at  that  mo- 
ment along  the  western  porch  to  enforce  orders. 


242        HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

"  Every  one,"  replied  Jesus,  "  that  committeth  sin,  is 
the  slave  of  sin.  I  know  that  ye  are  Abraham's  seed ; 
yet  ye  seek  to  kill  me."  To  this  he  added,  with  great 
severity,  "  Ye  do  the  works  of  your  father,  the  devil. 
He  was  ever  a  murderer,  and  a  liar,  and  the  father 
thereof." 

"  Say  we  not  well,"  they  answered,  "  that  thou  art  a 
Samaritan,  and  hast  a  demon  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  a  demon,"  said  Jesus,  deeply  hurt  and  in- 
dignant at  the  gross  insult ;  "  but  I  honor  my  Father, 
and  ye  dishonor  me.  Your  father  Abraham  rejoiced  to 
see  my  day ;  and  he  saw  it,  and  was  glad." 

"  Thou  art  not  yet  fifty  years  old,"  said  they  scorn- 
fully, "  and  hast  thou  seen  Abraham  ?  " 

"  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,"  he  replied  with 
solemn  emphasis,  "  Before  Abraham  was,  I  am." 

These  words  assert  not  merely  preexistence,  but  by 
confounding  grammatical  tenses,  indicate  an  existence 
out  of  all  relation  to  time,  the  eternal  Now.  In  them 
the  Lord  again  applied  to  himself  the  peculiar  name  by 
which  Jehovah  revealed  himself  to  Moses  (Exodus  3  :  14). 
For  a  mere  man  to  utter  them  would  be  the  highest  form 
of  blasphemy ;  and  so  the  Jews  now  interpreted  it. 

With  loud  outcries  the  mob  rushed  tumultuously 
through  the  eastern  gate  of  the  Treasury,  the  Beautiful 
Gate,  to  the  outer  court,  there  to  gather  up  the  marble 
chips  scattered  about  the  unfinished  building,  with  which 
to  stone  him,  the  usual  punishment  for  blasphemy.  But 
when  they  returned,  Jesus  had  disappeared.  For  mean- 
time he  and  his  sympathizers  retired  through  the  side 
door  of  the  Treasury  to  the  steps  leading  to  Ophel. 
These  he  descended,  followed  by  several  disciples,  and 
so  departed  from  the  Temple. 


THE  WORK  IN  JERUSALEM  243 

Southward  from  the  Treasury  was  an  opening  in  the 
floor  of  the  outer  court,  leading  by  steps  down  to  a 
subterranean  corridor  or  tunnel  which  passed  under  the 
great  Basilica,  and  out  the  substruction  of  the  lofty 
southern  wall  of  the  Temple  by  a  double  gate,  the  Hulda 
gate,  opening  into  the  district  of  the  city  called  Ophel. 
This  gate  was  the  only  southern  egress  from  the  Temple, 
and  it  remains  at  this  day.  The  Ophel  (sloping  hill)  was 
densely  populated,  mostly  by  Levites  who  served  in  the 
Temple,  and  an  humbler  class  of  citizens.  The  hill  de- 
clined southward  to  the  city  wall,  and  just  beyond  was 
the  famous  pool  of  Siloam. 

When  Jesus  and  his  few  disciples,  including  John,  who 
writes  of  all  this  like  an  eye-witness,  emerged  from  the 
corridor  that  afternoon,  they  were  assailed  by  the  clamor  of 
a  beggar  sitting  near  the  Hulda  gate  on  their  right,  crying 
for  alms  because  he  was  blind  from  his  birth.  Jesus  paused 
on  hearing  the  cry  of  want,  and  in  perfect  self-possession, 
with  calmness  unruffled  by  the  bitter  strife  he  had  just 
quitted,  or  by  the  still  audible  uproar  of  the  mob  that  was 
seeking  his  life,  he  listened  to  the  plea  of  the  benighted 
man.  The  disciples  were  not  thus  calm,  but  with  an 
effort  to  be  so,  asked  : 

"  Master,  who  did  sin,  this  man  or  his  parents,  that  he 
was  born  blind  ?  " 82 

The  first  alternative  in  this  curious  question  has 
received  much  learned  comment.  It  has  been  variously 
explained  by  reference  in  turn  to  metempsychosis,  to  sin 
of  the  fetus,  and  to  proleptic  punishment.  Also  the  "  or  " 
has  been  construed  as  corrective,  meaning :  or,  since  that 
could  not  be,  etc.  It  is  best,  however,  to  regard  the 
point  as  merely  a  blunder  of  the  simple  disciples  excited 


244        HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

and  confused  by  the  threatened  stoning,  a  natural  and 
inimitable  betrayal  of  inward  agitation  despite  the  effort 
to  be  calm. 

"  Neither  did  sin,"  answered  Jesus ;  "  but  so  it  is,  in 
order  that  a  work  of  God  be  manifest  in  him." 

Reminded  by  the  recent  attack  that  his  time  was  short, 
and  gazing  perhaps  on  the  now  declining  sun,  he  added  : 

"We  must  work  while  it  is  day;  the  night  cometh. 
While  I  am  in  the  world,  I  am  the  light  of  the  world." 

Within  the  passing  hour  he  had  proclaimed  this  in  the 
Temple.  Now  he  would  illustrate  it  by  giving  light  to 
the  sightless  eyes  that  pleaded  for  and  won  his  pity. 
Making  an  ointment  of  clay  with  his  spittle,  he  anointed 
the  beggar's  eyes,  and  said  : 

"  Go,  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam." 

A  second  scene  represents  the  blind  beggar  going 
alone,  groping  with  his  staff  in  the  midday  darkness 
along  the  familiar  streets  of  Ophel  on  his  way  to  the 
pool.  The  smear  on  his  eyes  was  not  medicinal,  but  was 
a  crutch  to  his  faith.  Beyond  the  city  wall,  he  reached 
the  pool.  He  washed ;  he  saw.  What  were  his  bewil- 
dering thoughts  when  now  first  the  brilliant  light  of  day 
poured  into  his  soul ;  what  his  ineffable  delight  when  he 
returned  seeing  the  beautiful  world  glowing  in  all  the 
colors  of  the  sunbeam.  He  saw  ;  and  he  understood  what 
he  saw.  For  the  miracle  was  much  more  than  physical ; 
he  was  at  once  divinely  endowed  with  the  ocular  edu- 
cation which  it  took  Cheselden's  patient  many  months  to 
acquire. 

On  his  joyful  return,  he  is  met  by  neighbors  and 
acquaintances,  who  hardly  recognizing  him  asked  one 
another,  Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and  begged  ?     Some  said, 


THE  WORK  IN  JERUSALEM  245 

It  is  he ;  others  said,  No,  but  he  is  like  him.  He  said,  I 
am  he.  How  then,  asked  they,  were  thine  eyes  opened  ? 
He  answered,  The  man  that  is  called  Jesus  made  clay, 
and  anointed  mine  eyes,  and  said  unto  me,  Go  to  Siloam 
and  wash ;  so  I  went  away  and  washed,  and  I  received 
sight.  They  asked,  Where  is  he  ?  He  said,  I  know 
not.  Nothing  could  be  more  plain,  terse  and  direct  than 
his  exquisitely  simple  recount  of  the  facts.  It  marks  the 
man.  His  equilibrium  is  not  disturbed  by  the  amazing 
experience.  His  gossips,  however,  think  that  such  an 
extraordinary  wonder  should  be  reported  at  once  to  the 
ruling  elders ;  so  they  bring  him  to  their  Synagogue. 

The  scene  now  shifts  to  an  interior.  The  elders,  in 
dark  robes  edged  with  scarlet,  are  sitting  as  judges.  The 
man  that  was  blind  looks  upon  them  with  clear  steady 
eyes.  His  neighbors  stand  near.  The  Synagogue  is 
crowded.  John  the  evangelist  is  there,  commissioned 
by  his  Master  to  follow  and  report  results ;  for  he,  the 
healer,  was  resolved  that  nothing  should  pluck  his  sheep 
out  of  his  hand.  The  court  asks  the  witness  how  he 
received  his  sight.     The  answer  is  simple : 

"  He  put  clay  upon  mine  eyes,  and  I  washed,  and  do  see." 
Now  that  day  was  a  Sabbath,  and  being  the  final  day 
of  the  Feast,  was  especially  holy.  Therefore  some  of  the 
pharisaic  inquisitors  said,  The  man  is  not  from  God,  be- 
cause he  keepeth  not  the  Sabbath.  But  others  said,  How 
can  a  man  who  is  a  sinner  do  such  signs  ?  And  there 
was  a  division  among  them.  Observe  their  dilemma. 
To  press  the  Sabbath-breaking  was  to  admit  the  miracle, 
and  hence  divine  authority  higher  than  the  law.  On  the 
other  hand,  to  deny  the  miracle  left  no  ground  for  the 
accusation  they  wished  to  uphold.     So  sorely  are  they 


246        HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

perplexed  that,  forgetful  of  their  haughty  dignity,  and 
hoping  to  gain  a  point,  they  ask  the  opinion  of  the 
humble  witness : 

"  What  sayest  thou  of  thy  healer  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  prophet,"  is  the  prompt  reply. 

A  sturdy,  straightforward  fellow  that.  His  mind's  eye, 
too,  is  clear.  He  did  not  share,  nor  did  he  relieve  the 
embarrassment  of  the  judges. 

These,  unwilling  to  believe  his  story,  put  him  aside, 
and  call  his  parents  before  them.  The  aged  couple  stand 
trembling,  for  they  know  it  is  already  agreed  that  any 
one  confessing  the  Nazarene  to  be  the  Christ  should  be 
excommunicated.     They  are  asked : 

"  Is  this  your  son  ?  Say  ye  he  was  born  blind  ?  Then 
how  doth  he  now  see  ?  " 

"  We  know  that  this  is  our  son,"  they  reply,  "  and  that 
he  was  born  blind ;  but  how  he  now  seeth,  we  know  not ; 
or  who  opened  his  eyes,  we  know  not ;  ask  him ;  he  is  of 
age ;  he  shall  speak  for  himself." 

The  first  two  questions  they  answer  affirmatively ;  the 
third  they  evade.  They  are  honest  and  sensible,  but 
timid,  cautious,  and  rather  selfish  in  leaving  the  young 
man  to  shift  for  himself.  But  perhaps  their  parental 
pride  and  confidence  in  his  ability,  which  by  degrees  be- 
comes quite  manifest,  justifies  them. 

The  parents  are  dismissed.  After  some  consultation 
the  inquisitors  recall  the  young  man,  and  intimate  to  him 
that  they  have  now  found  out  all  about  the  matter,  that 
it  is  a  fraud,  and  they  call  upon  him  to  tell  the  truth  and 
shame  the  devil.  Really  they  wanted  him  to  tell  a  lie ; 
they  hoped  to  overawe  or  intimidate  him  into  a  false  con- 
fession of  complicity  in  a  fraud.  They  cloak  their  intent 
with  the  unctuous  speech : 


THE  WORK  IN  JERUSALEM  247 

"  Give  glory  to  God ;  we  know  that  the  Nazarene  is  a 
sinner." 

But  they  mistake  their  man ;  he  is  quite  impracticable, 
honest  and  fearless.  With  quick-witted,  clear  irony  he 
replies : 

"  Whether  he  be  a  sinner,  I  know  not ;  one  thing  I 
know,  that  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see." 

He  sticks  to  the  concrete  facts  of  the  case,  and  is  as 
stubborn  as  they.  Then  the  perplexed  judges  undertake 
to  cross-question  him. 

"  What  did  he  to  thee  ?  How  opened  he  thine 
eyes  ?  " 

This  brings  out  another  bit  of  sharp  cutting  irony. 

"  I  told  you  even  now,  and  ye  did  not  hear ;  where- 
fore would  ye  hear  it  again  ?  Would  ye  also  become  his 
disciples  ?  " 

He  humorously  affects  to  misunderstand  their  purpose. 
To  be  thus  bantered  by  a  beggar  in  open  court  is  too 
provoking.  Patience  gives  way.  By  his  indirect  con- 
fession of  discipleship,  the  witness  becoming  an  offender, 
instantly  they  accuse  and  revile  him. 

"  Thou  art  his  disciple,  but  we  are  disciples  of  Moses. 
As  for  that  man,  we  know  not  whence  he  is." 

To  this  the  response  is  most  admirable.  We  can  al- 
most hear  his  long  sarcastic  drawl. 

"  Why  herein  is  a  marvellous  thing,  that  ye  know 
not  from  whence  he  is,  and  yet  he  hath  opened  my 
eyes." 

In  furtherance  he  treats  the  court  to  a  little  bit  of  un- 
answerable logic.  This  is  intolerable.  The  pharisaic 
elders  are  furious. 

"  Thou  wast  altogether  born  in  sins,  and  doest  thou 
teach  us  ?  " 


248        HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

The  "  altogether  "  means  both  body  and  soul.  Since 
bodily  defects  were  believed  to  be  due  to  sin,  the  judges 
thereby  trip,  betraying  their  inner  conviction  that  the 
man  was  really  born  blind.  Without  further  parley,  how- 
ever, they  pass  upon  him  sentence  of  excommunication, 
and  ceremonially  cause  him  to  be  thrust  out  the  door  of 
the  Synagogue. 


"  He  stood  before  the  Sanhedrim, 
The  scowling  Rabbis  gazed  on  him  ; 
He  recked  not  of  their  praise  or  blame, 
There  was  no  fear,  there  was  no  shame ; 
For  unto  one  upon  whose  eyes 
The  whole  world  poured  its  glad  surprise, 
The  open  heaven  was  much  too  near, 
His  first  day's  light  too  sweet  and  clear, 
To  let  him  waste  his  new-gained  ken 
On  the  hate  clouded  face  of  men. 

He  told  the  story  o'er  and  o'er, 
It  was  his  full  heart's  only  lore ; 
A  prophet  on  a  Sabbath  day 
Had  touched  his  sightless  eyes  with  clay, 
And  made  him  see  who  had  been  blind. 
Their  words  went  by  him  like  the  wind; 
Their  sneers  at  Jesus  and  his  band, 
Nameless  and  homeless  in  the  land, 
Their  boasts  of  Moses  and  his  Lord, 
All  could  not  move  him  by  one  word. 
« I  know  not  what  this  man  may  be, 
Sinner  or  saint ;  but  as  for  me, 
One  thing  I  know,  that  I  am  he 
Who  once  was  blind,  but  now  I  see.' 

They  were  all  Doctors  of  renown, 
The  great  men  of  a  famous  town  ; 
Their  deep  brows  wrinkled,  broad  and  wise, 
Beneath  their  wide  phylacteries; 
The  wisdom  of  the  past  was  theirs, 
And  honor  crowned  their  silver  hairs. 


THE  WORK  IN  JERUSALEM  249 

The  man  they  thrust  away  in  scorn, 
Was  unlearn'd,  poor  and  humbly  born; 
But  he  knew  better  far  than  they 
What  came  to  him  that  Sabbath  day ; 
Yea,  what  the  Christ  had  done  for  him, 
He  knew,  and  not  the  Sanhedrim." 

The  fourth  scene  is  in  the  open  air,  in  the  market 
square  where  sheep  are  on  sale  for  sacrifice  or  food. 
Thither  the  disconsolate  outcast  has  wandered.  John, 
nimble-footed,  has  told  his  anxious  Master,  who  imme- 
diately finds  him,  and  says  : 

"  Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God  ?  " 
"  Who  is  he,  Lord,  that  I  may  believe  on  him  ?  " 
Hear  the  totally  altered  tone  of  the  man,  note  his 
humility  in  this  presence.  Jesus  then  privately  reveals 
himself,  as  once  to  the  nameless  woman  at  the  well, 
now  here  to  this  nameless  beggar  in  the  sheep-market, 
saying,  with  a  delicate  allusion  to  the  gift  of  sight : 

"  Thou  hast  both  seen  him,  and  he  it  is  that  speaketh 
with  thee." 

"  Lord,  I  believe,"  is  the  instant  confession  ;  and  bow- 
ing upon  his  knees,  with  clasped  hands  and  upturned 
eyes,  he  worshipped  him. 

"  On  my  bended  knee 
I  recognize  thy  purpose  clearly  shown ; 
My  vision  thou  hast  cleared  that  I  may  see 
Thyself,  thyself  alone." 

Then  said  Jesus,  with  great  majesty  and  mystery : 
"  For  judgment   came   I   into  this  world,  that  they 
which  see  me  not,  may  see ;  and  that  they  which  see 
may  become  blind." 

The  court  having  adjourned,  the  people  and  the  Phari- 
sees of  the  inquisition  followed  the  outcast  to  the  market 


250        HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

place  and  gathered  around  Jesus  standing  by  his  kneel- 
ing adherent,  in  time  to  hear  these  last  words.  Then 
one  of  the  Pharisees  ventured  to  ask  sneeringly,  Are  we 
also  blind?  Jesus  turned  upon  them  with  fierce  indig- 
nation, and  withers  them  with  scathing,  scorching, 
burning  words.  He  denounces  them  as  false  shepherds, 
as  hirelings,  indeed  as  sheep-thieves,  entering  into  the 
fold  to  steal,  to  kill,  to  destroy,  and  with  majestic  egotism 
contrasts  them  with  himself,  the  true,  the  good  shep- 
herd, who  will  lay  down  his  life  for  the  sheep. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  separate  this  "  Discourse  on  The 
Good  Shepherd  "  from  the  preceding  events,  which  in- 
deed are  narrated  to  introduce  and  explain  it ;  likewise 
to  regard  it,  with  the  common  view,  as  a  calm,  mild, 
gentle  speech  for  instruction  and  consolation.  No ; 
though  full  of  consolatory  truth  for  us,  who  are  all  beg- 
gars, blind  beggars,  born  blind  ;  yet  primarily,  as  spoken 
to  the  pharisaic  elders,  these  are  words  of  regulated  but 
stormy  passion  ;  a  passion  of  indignation  at  injustice,  a 
passion  of  love  for  the  poor  outcast  at  his  feet  who  had 
been  tried  and  had  proven  true.  The  hirelings  cared  not 
for  this  sheep,  but  his  shepherd  had  found  him.  And 
he  laid  his  hand  upon  his  head,  saying,  I  know  mine 
own,  and  mine  own  know  me.  Jesus  claimed  him,  he 
was  his  own  ;  he  loved  him,  he  would  die  for  him. 
What  a  scene  !     Glorious,  great-hearted  Master  ! 

The  adversaries  were  cowed  and  shrank  away.  Some, 
wishing  to  brave  it  out,  said,  Oh,  he  is  mad,  he  hath  a 
demon,  why  hear  him  ?  But  others  said,  These  are  not 
the  words  of  one  that  hath  a  demon ;  besides,  can  a 
demon  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind  ? 

As  already  intimated,  the  original  narrative  is  autoptic 


THE  WORK  IN  JERUSALEM  251 

in  style,  and  dramatic  in  treatment.  Also  it  is  vividly 
picturesque,  and  critically  artistic.  Its  characterization 
is  clear  and  distinct.  The  beggar  is  a  sturdy,  pertina- 
cious fellow,  brave  and  truthful.  He  cannot  be  brow- 
beaten, but  with  dry  humor  pulverizes  the  cavils  of  the 
judges.  To  his  benefactor  he  is  faithful,  humble  and 
docile.  His  neighbors  are  simple  street  gossips.  His 
parents,  as  timid  in  old  age  as  he  is  bold  in  youthful 
vigor,  yet  show  the  shrewdness  proper  to  parents  of  a 
sharp-witted  son.  The  judges  are  sinister  and  unscrupu- 
lous, but  lose  their  temper  and  betray  themselves.  The 
clearness  of  this  characterization  is  enhanced  by  a  num- 
ber of  extreme  contrasts  ;  as,  the  sightless  and  the  seeing, 
the  beggar  and  the  giver,  impotence  and  power,  vicious 
malignity  and  gracious  benignity.  And  let  not  the  dis- 
ciples be  overlooked,  whose  blunder  at  the  outset  con- 
nects what  follows  with  the  morning's  peril,  so  that  these 
after  events  pass  morally  as  well  as  literally  under  the 
shadow  of  the  Temple. 

The  dramatic  unities  are  strictly  preserved.  There  is 
no  interval  of  time,  no  transfer  of  place,  though  there 
are  four  distinct  and  growing  scenes.  The  chief  per- 
sonage appears  only  in  the  first  and  last,  but  in  the  in- 
terim he  is  constantly  before  the  mind's  eye  as  the  motive 
of  the  action.  Only  one  subject  engages  our  thoughts, 
and  that  of  tragic  interest;  for,  while  the  ostensible 
matter  is  the  healing,  the  underlying  matter  is  the  defama- 
tion of  the  healer,  with  the  purpose,  if  possible,  to  indict 
and  destroy  him.  The  culmination  in  the  last  scene,  to 
which  the  others  are  preparatory,  is  overwhelming  and 
grand.  All  the  previous  interlocutors  are  present.  The 
apparent  success  of  the  evil-doers  is  utterly  undone,  and 
they  put  to  open  shame.     Mercy  and  trust  stand  hand 


252        HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

in  hand,  and  virtue  triumphs.  The  giver  of  light  sweeps 
away  the  machination  against  himself  and  his  own,  and 
with  fearful  denunciation  of  the  adversaries,  inter- 
mingles great  words  of  love  and  power  and  promise  that 
rise  to  celestial  heights,  and  float  beyond  time. 


XX 
THE  TOUR  AND  ITS  CLOSE 

BECAUSE  of  the  active  hostility  of  the  Temple,  it 
were  manifestly  unwise  for  Jesus  to  tarry  in  Jeru- 
salem. Attended  by  many  disciples,  he  retired  to 
a  neighboring  town,  let  us  say  to  Ephraim,  sixteen  miles 
north  of  Jerusalem,  where  he  organized  the  mission  of  the 
seventy.  These  were  not  evangelists,  but  heralds,  like 
John  the  baptizer,  and  with  a  proclamation  quite  similar : 
"  The  kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh  unto  you."  M 
It  is  evident  that  Jesus  intended  a  tour  throughout 
that  region.  The  time  was  limited.  From  the  close  of 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  to  the  Feast  of  Dedication, 
which  also  he  proposed  to  attend,  was  just  two  months 
and  one  week.  To  economize  the  time,  he  sent  these 
messengers  in  couples  before  his  face  into  every  city  and 
place  whither  he  himself  was  about  to  come.  If  they  were 
rejected  by  any  city,  more  time  could  be  given  to  others ; 
but,  Woe  unto  that  city !  Where  welcomed,  they  were 
to  announce  his  coming,  so  that  the  people  might  be 
ready  to  receive  and  to  hear  him.  As  a  foretaste  of  the 
blessing  he  gave  the  messengers  power  to  heal. 

A   week,  probably,  was    consumed   by   this   mission. 
The  heralds  return,  and  report  joyfully,  saying : 

"  Lord,  even  the  demons  are  subject  unto  us  in  thy 
name." 

Alluding  to  the  great  temptation,  he  cries : 
"  I  beheld  Satan  fallen  as  lightning  from  heaven." 
A  shout  of  triumph.     Another  victory  won. 
253 


254        HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

The  tour  begins.  The  first  movement  is  southward 
from  Ephraim  to  a  station  on  the  road  from  Jerusalem  to 
Jericho.  There  a  certain  lawyer  stood  up  and  tried  him 
with  questions,  which  gave  occasion  for  that  pearl  of 
parables,  The  Good  Samaritan.  The  scene  is  in  loco. 
The  story  is  very  vivid,  and  apparently  very  simple.  It 
is  in  answer  to  the  question,  Who  is  my  neighbor  ?  The 
neighbor  in  the  parable  proves  to  be,  not  the  Priest  nor 
the  Levite,  who  passed  him  by,  but  the  Samaritan,  who 
succored  him.  Then  the  wounded  man  whom  he  succored 
is  under  the  law  to  love  that  Samaritan  as  himself.  This, 
generalized,  commands  us  to  love  our  benefactors  as  our- 
selves, which  is  not  philanthropy,  but  gratitude.  The 
primary  and  purposed  lesson  is  of  gratitude  to  benefac- 
tors, and  supremely  to  God,  the  greatest  benefactor.  A 
general  philanthropy  is  abundantly  taught  elsewhere, 
but  nowhere  are  we  commanded  to  love  all  men  as 
ourselves.84 

Now  as  they  went  on  their  way,  he  entered  into  the 
village  Bethany,  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives  ;  and  a  certain  woman  named  Martha,  the  widow 
of  Simon  the  leper,  received  him  into  her  house.  This  is 
the  first  mention  of  the  home  at  Bethany,  but  very  likely 
he  made  its  acquaintance  two  years  before  this,  during 
his  first  Judean  ministry.  Here  in  five  verses  of  Luke  is 
a  pictorial  characterization  of  the  sisters,  Martha  and 
Mary,  so  clear  and  distinct,  and  in  such  perfect  harmony 
with  what  John  says  of  them,  that,  if  it  be  not  history, 
says  Meyer,  then  it  is  a  literary  miracle.  The  exquisite 
contrast  between  the  bustling,  anxious,  fretful  housewife, 
and  the  calm,  docile,  contemplative  pupil  sitting  at  the 
Teacher's  feet, has  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  world; 


THE  TOUR  AND  ITS  CLOSE  255 

and  the  Master's  gentle,  pleasant,  kindly  approval  of  his 
pupil's  choice  is  quoted  to  sanction  the  seclusion  of  the 
convent.85 

From  Bethany  they  went  further  southward,  leaving 
Jerusalem  on  the  right.  Was  it  not  to  some  one  of  those 
neighboring  heights,  which  had  been  in  old  times  a 
Mount  of  Offense,  crowned  with  the  grove  of  Ashtaroth, 
or  serving  as  a  pedestal^to  the  brazen  Moloch,  that  Jesus 
retired  for  prayer?  When  he  had  ceased,  one  of  the 
disciples  said,  Lord,  teach  us  to  pray.  Now  to  the 
school  of  Gratitude  and  the  school  of  Docility  is  added  the 
school  of  Petition.  But  the  disciples  had  already  been 
taught  the  lesson  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  Had 
they  forgotten  ?  Perhaps  they  wanted  something  new, 
something  more.  How  abashed  they  must  have  been  to 
hear  him  significantly  repeat  in  condensed  form  the  old 
lesson  !  How  gentle  the  reproof,  how  strong  the  empha- 
sis !  Perhaps  now  they  caught  sight  of  that  perpetuity 
in  these  words  that  excludes  change ;  of  that  complete 
universality  which  cannot  be  enlarged.  Then  the 
Teacher,  by  the  parable  of  the  importunate  Friend  at 
Midnight,  encourages  perseverance  in  the  one  petition, 
and  adds  the  gracious  promise,  Ask  and  ye  shall  receive.86 

After  this,  did  not  Jesus  with  his  attendants  traverse 
the  plain  of  Bethlehem,  where  the  shepherds  watched, 
where  David  fed  symbolic  flocks,  where  Ruth  gleaned  ? 
Did  he  not  enter  the  historic  village,  and  visit  the  cave 
of  his  nativity,  and  the  house  of  his  epiphany  ?  Did  he 
not  teach  and  heal  in  Hebron,  the  birthplace  of  John, 
and  look  upon  the  cave  of  Machpelah?  Were  not 
Arimathea,  and  Joppa  and  Lydda  and  Emmaus  in  his 
circuit  ? 


256        HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

Somewhere  in  that  region,  he  healed  a  dumb  demoniac. 
Certain  witnesses  accused  him  of  being  in  league  with 
Beelzebub.  He  indignantly  repelled  the  charge.  Then 
a  woman  among  those  present,  recognizing  no  doubt  the 
longed-for  Messiah,  whose  maternity  was  the  ardent  hope 
of  every  Jewess,  cried  out  and  pronounced  his  mother 
Blessed.  This  is  the  only  record  in  the  Gospels  of  that 
title  applied  to  the  Virgin  in  accord  with  her  own 
prophecy  in  the  Magnificat.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  it 
was  not  allowed  to  pass  unnoticed  along  with  other 
concurrent  exclamations.  The  Lord  does  not  deny 
it,  but  instantly  rectifies  it  by  reducing  the  Virgin,  in 
respect  of  blessedness,  to  the  common  level  of  all  be- 
lievers.87 

To  the  wondering  multitude  that  speedily  gathered 
about  him,  he  addressed  solemn  warnings,  and  claimed 
for  himself  superiority  to  Jonah  the  effective  preacher, 
and  to  Solomon  the  wise  king. 

Now  as  he  spake,  a  Pharisee  asked  him  to  dine  with 
him.  He  accepted  the  invitation  though  really  it  was 
more  hostile  than  hospitable.  Its  spirit  is  revealed  by  a 
sanctimonious  cavil,  which  calls  down  upon  the  Pharisees 
a  fearful  threefold  woe.  Then  a  lawyer,  one  of  the  learned 
class  superior  to  the  common  Pharisees,  an  aristocrat, 
who  honored  the  occasion  by  his  presence,  haughtily 
undertook  to  quell  this  tempest  of  denunciation,  and  to 
overawe  Jesus  by  pointing  out  that  such  sayings  were 
also  a  reproach  to  him  and  his  influential  class  in  society. 
His  success  was  not  commensurate  with  his  expectations. 
Another  threefold  woe  of  even  deeper  intensity  was  in- 
stantly hurled  upon  the  lawyers.88 

Jesus  left  the  table  and  the  house,  followed  by  the  em- 


THE  TOUR  AND  ITS  CLOSE  257 

bittered  company,  who  vehemently  tried  to  provoke  him 
to  say  something  by  which  they  might  accuse  him. 
Meantime  a  multitude  of  many  thousands  had  gathered 
without,  already  infected  with  the  hostile  spirit  of  Jeru- 
salem. It  were  easy  to  excite  a  tumult.  Jesus  calmed 
the  alarm  of  his  disciples,  bidding  them,  Fear  not ;  the 
very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  While  he 
was  talking  with  them,  a  bystander  made  an  unseemly 
request.  This  was  rebuked,  and  gave  occasion  for  the 
parable  of  The  Rich  Fool,  which  has  its  counterpart  and 
perhaps  its  ground  in  the  Old  Testament  story  of  Nabal.89 

From  this  as  a  text,  Jesus  continues  to  teach  his  dis- 
ciples, as  they  passed  from  the  thronging  multitude,  and 
out  of  the  town  on  their  way  to  another  station.  The 
discourse  is  woven  of  the  richest  materials,  some  of  which 
are  repeated  from  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  As  the 
little  band  followed  the  highway,  the  sight  of  ravens 
floating  in  the  air,  of  lilies  growing  in  the  field,  of  mead- 
ows clothed  with  grass,  suggested  his  illustrations,  which 
were  enriched  by  the  parable  of  The  Wedding  Feast. 

Mingled  with  the  disciples  was  a  large  following  of 
hypocrites.  Some  of  these  told  him  of  certain  Galileans 
whose  blood  Pilate  had  mingled  with  their  sacrifices. 
This  is  the  first  mention  of  the  Roman  governor,  and 
gives  at  once  a  correct  impression  of  his  character.  Now 
Jesus  was  a  Galilean,  and  very  likely  it  was  expected  that 
his  aroused  sympathy  would  break  forth  in  some  words 
that  would  ensnare  him.  A  well  planned  trap,  worthy 
of  Satan  himself;  for  how  diabolical  to  seek  to  use  a 
man's  generous,  patriotic,  humane  impulses  to  destroy 
him.  He  was  in  Pilate's  jurisdiction.  Word  carried  to 
him  of  a  hasty  speech  would  surely  bring  on  an  arrest 
for  treason.     But  the  tempter  in  this  master  stroke  was 


258        HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

foiled.  Jesus  simply  but  keenly  makes  it  the  occasion  to 
teach,  in  a  few  words,  the  great  lesson  of  the  book  of 
Job,  illustrated  by  the  parable  of  the  Barren  Fig  Tree. 
This  view  explains,  what  is  inexplicable  by  those  who 
locate  the  incident  in  Galilee,  why  no  word  of  sympathy 
or  indignation  escapes  the  lips  of  Jesus.  Also  his  refer- 
ence to  the  fall  of  the  tower  in  Siloam  confirms  the 
Judean  locale,  since  it  implies  a  Judean  audience.90 

The  last  incident  of  the  tour  around  about  Jerusalem 
is  a  deed  of  mercy.  He  was  teaching  in  a  Synagogue 
on  a  Sabbath.  A  woman  was  there  who  was  bowed  to- 
gether so  that  she  could  in  no  wise  lift  up  herself.  "  God 
made  us  erect,"  says  Ovid,  "  with  our  faces  upward 
turned,  and  commanded  that  we  lift  them  towards  the 
sky,  and  direct  our  glances  to  the  stars ;  but  the  beasts 
made  he  prone,  with  looks  cast  downward  to  the  earth." 
Bunyan  tells  of  "  a  room  where  was  a  man  that  could 
look  no  way  but  downwards,  with  a  Muck-rake  in  his 
hand.  There  stood  also  one  over  his  head  with  a  Celes- 
tial Crown  in  his  Hand,  and  proffered  to  give  him  that 
Crown  for  his  Muck-rake ;  but  the  man  did  neither  look 
up  nor  regard;  but  raked  to  himself  the  Straws,  the 
small  Sticks,  and  Dust  of  the  Floor."  And  Milton 
tells  of — 

"  Mammon,  the  least  erected  spirit  that  fell 
From  heaven  ;  for  ev'n  in  heaven  his  looks  and  thoughts 
Were  always  downward  bent ;  admiring  more 
The  riches  of  heaven's  pavement,  trodden  gold, 
Than  aught  divine  or  holy." 

The  work  of  Satan  is  to  make  us  bestial,  the  work  of 
Jesus  to  uplift.  He  did  not  wait  to  be  asked.  As  soon 
as  he  saw  her  condition,  he  called  the  woman  before  him. 


THE  TOUR  AND  ITS  CLOSE  259 

the  prompt  impulse  of  divine  pity  recognizing  in  her 
brutal  attitude  a  symbol  of  human  degradation,  and  said 
unto  her  : 

"  Woman,  thou  art  loosed  from  thine  infirmity."  91 

Immediately  she  became  straight,  and  shouted  praises 
to  God.  Here  was  the  old  offense  again,  a  working  on 
the  Sabbath.  The  ruler  of  the  Synagogue  was  scandal- 
ized ;  but  not  daring  to  remonstrate  with  the  Nazarene, 
addresses  a  rebuke  to  the  congregation.  Jesus  turned 
upon  him  with  fierce  indignation,  saying : 

"  Thou  hypocrite,  doth  not  each  one  of  you  on  the 
Sabbath  loose  his  ox  or  his  ass  from  the  stall,  and  lead 
him  away  to  watering  ?  And  ought  not  this  woman, 
being  a  daughter  of  Abraham,  whom  Satan  hath  bound, 
lo,  these  eighteen  years,  to  have  been  loosed  from  this 
bond  on  the  day  of  the  Sabbath  ?  " 

Words  very  plain,  very  homely,  very  strong,  yet  very 
beautiful  and  very  noble  in  their  knightly  defense  of  a 
weak  and  timid  woman  against  all  comers. 

The  tour  was  complete.  Jesus  returned  to  Jerusalem, 
where  this  second  Judean  ministry  culminates  and  ends 
in  another  collision  with  the  hostile  Temple  party  at  the 
Feast  of  Dedication. 

Five  dedications  of  the  Temple  may  be  distinguished ; 
one  by  Solomon,  another  by  Hezekiah,  a  third  by  Zerub- 
babel,  a  fourth  by  Judas  Maccabaeus,  and  yet  another  in 
the  time  of  Herod.  Of  these  the  feast  commemorated 
the  fourth. 

In  the  year  170  B.C.,  the  Greek  king  of  Syria,  Anti- 
ochus  Epiphanes,  on  his  return  from  an  abortive  cam- 
paign against  Egypt  through  Palestine  which  was  under 
his  dominion,  having  heard  that  the  Jews  were  in  revolt, 


260        HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY 

marched  with  the  fury  of  a  madman  against  Jerusalem. 
The  terrified  citizens  closed  the  gates.  So  he  stormed 
the  battle-scarred  city,  slaughtered  forty  thousand  inhab- 
itants, and  sold  as  many  into  slavery.  He  entered  the 
Temple,  sacrificed  swine  on  the  great  altar,  and  defiled 
the' Sanctuary.  This  pollution,  followed  by  a  robbery  of 
the  treasures,  put  an  end  to  the  temple  worship.  Two 
years  afterwards,  by  order  of  Antiochus,  another  massacre 
and  pillage  took  place,  the  statue  of  Zeus  Olympius  was 
set  up  in  the  Sanctuary,  its  courts  were  polluted  by 
licentious  orgies,  the  phallic  revels  of  Dionysus,  and  a 
general  and  cruel  persecution  sought  to  force  upon  the 
Jews  the  orientalized  idolatry  of  Greece.  Rebellion  en- 
sued, and  a  finally  successful  struggle  for  independence. 
The  first  care  of  Judas  Maccabaeus,  the  hero  of  the  con- 
flict, on  getting  possession  of  Jerusalem,  was  to  purify 
the  Temple  by  most  solemn  rites,  and  to  reestablish  its 
worship.  This  event  was  thereafter  annually  celebrated 
by  the  Feast  of  Dedication,  or  Purification.  It  occupied 
a  week  in  mid-winter.  The  Jews  throughout  Palestine 
were  not  required  to  attend ;  and  the  presence  of  Jesus 
at  the  feast  beginning  December  30th,  a.  d.,  29,  is  unac- 
countable were  he  not  in  Judea  at  the  time. 

Having  entered  the  Temple  enclosure,  Jesus  crossed  it 
to  Solomon's  Porch.  This  unfinished  structure  extended 
along  the  eastern  wall,  and  looking  inward,  faced  the 
Sanctuary.  It  was  so  named  because  built,  it  was  said, 
in  part  of  materials  belonging  to  the  ancient  Temple  of 
Solomon,  and  upon  the  old  foundations.  The  history  of 
the  Temple  and  the  history  of  Mosaicism  are  parallel. 
As  the  Mosaic  Law  had  become  enwrapped  by  accumu- 
lated traditions,  and  moulded  to  the  tastes  of  the  day,  so 
but  little  of  the  substance  of  the  old  Temple  was  discov- 


THE  TOUR  AND  ITS  CLOSE  261 

erable  in  the  greatly  extended  and  elaborately  adorned 
Temple  of  Herod.  Mosaicism  and  the  Temple  were 
soon  to  pass  away,  but  the  substructions  of  both  have 
proved  indestructible. 

Jesus  was  walking  to  and  fro  under  the  cover  of  Solo- 
mon's Porch,  for  it  was  winter.  He  seems  to  have  been 
alone,  unless  perhaps  the  beloved  John,  who  tells  of  this, 
was  walking  with  him,  for  his  naming  the  particular  place 
is  quite  autoptic.  Soon  the  Jews  of  the  Temple  party 
collected  about  him,  and  demanded : 

"  If  thou  art  the  Christ,  tell  us  plainly."  ffi 

He  could  not  answer  yea  or  nay ;  for  though  he  was  the 
Christ  of  prophecy,  he  was  not  the  Christ  of  their  hope. 
They  were  looking  for  a  national  redeemer  and  temporal 
king.  It  was  as  impossible  for  Jesus  to  descend  to  their 
notion  of  a  Messiah  as  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  rise 
to  his.  Therefore  he  simply  referred  them  to  his  works  as 
bearing  witness  of  his  commission  from  God,  and  affirmed : 

"  I  and  the  Father  are  one." 

Upon  this  the  Jews  took  up  stones  again  to  stone  him. 
With  calm  but  severe  irony  he  asked : 

"  Many  good  works  have  I  showed  you  from  the 
Father ;  for  which  of  those  works  do  ye  stone  me  ?  " 

"  For  a  good  work  we  stone  thee  not,"  said  they,  "  but 
for  blasphemy;  and  because  that  thou,  being  a  man, 
makest  thyself  God." 

This  last  Jesus  did  not  deny ;  but  proceeded,  by  an 
argumentutn  ad  kontinem,  to  disprove  the  blasphemy, 
and  enforce  his  claim  to  be  the  Son  of  God.  Then 
sought  they  again  to  take  him ;  but  he  went  forth  out  of 
their  hand,  out  from  the  Temple,  out  from  Judea. 

Thus  ends  his  Second  Judean  Ministry. 


PART  SEVENTH 


His  Peraean  Ministry 


XXI 

THE  WORK  INTERRUPTED 

JESUS  left  Jerusalem  not  to  return  there  until  the 
final  scene.  He  stopped  at  Bethany  of  Judea  telling 
Martha  where  he  was  going,  then  crossed  the  Jordan 
into  Peraea.  This  name  does  not  occur  in  Scripture,  but 
is  in  Josephus.  It  is  from  the  Greek  r.ipa,  meaning  ultra, 
beyond,  across,  contra,  the  country.  In  Peraea,  ]  xepaia,  he 
took  up  his  abode  in  the  Bethany  beyond  Jordan.  This 
village  was  about  halfway  between  the  lakes,  near  the 
ford  Bethabara  where  John  had  baptized,  and  where 
Jesus,  returning  from  the  wilderness,  had  made  his  first 
disciples.  The  people  of  the  region,  familiar  with  the 
ministry  of  the  Baptist,  resorted  to  him  in  great  numbers, 
were  healed  and  taught,  and  many  believed  on  him 
there. 

Thus  began  his  Peraean  ministry.  He  had  accom- 
plished a  long  ministry  in  Galilee,  a  first  and  second  min- 
istry in  Judea,  and  had  visited  Samaria  and  Phoenicia, 
whereby  the  whole  land  west  of  the  river  had  been  can- 
vassed. In  the  eastern  district,  he  had  twice  visited 
Decapolis,  and  now  Peraea  remained.  To  it  he  now 
gave  nearly  two  months,  January  and  February,  a.  d.  30 ; 
so  that  his  labors  extended  throughout  every  portion  of 
Palestine. 

After  a  sojourn  of  about  six  weeks  near  Bethabara, 
Jesus,  accompanied  by  the  apostles,  set  about  visiting 

265 


266  HIS  PER^EAN  MINISTRY 

the  towns  of  Peraea.  The  district  was  narrow,  but  ex- 
tended from  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret  southward  to  the 
river  Arnon,  about  seventy  miles.  Beginning  at  the 
northern  end,  he  went  through  the  cities  and  villages 
teaching  and  journeying  towards  Jerusalem.93 

In  their  progress  southward,  Jesus  and  the  apostles 
came  to  a  town  lying  on  the  northern  slopes  of  Mt. 
Gilead,  about  a  day's  journey  from  Bethabara.  There  he 
is  asked,  Lord,  are  there  few  that  be  saved  ?  He  an- 
swers that  many  shall  fail,  nevertheless  a  great  multitude 
shall  be  saved,  gathered  from  all  quarters  of  the  world. 

In  that  very  hour  he  is  warned  against  Herod  Anti- 
pas,  in  whose  jurisdiction  he  is,  by  certain  Pharisees 
saying  to  him,  Go  hence,  and  get  thee  out,  for 
Herod  intends  to  kill  thee.  It  is  very  likely  that  the 
hostile  Pharisees  had  reported  to  Antipas  the  presence 
of  the  Galilean  prophet  again  in  his  domain,  and  that 
Antipas,  though  desirous  of  seeing  him,  yet  impatient 
of  annoyance,  said  something  like  this :  Well,  well,  go 
to  the  Nazarene,  pretend  sympathy,  and  tell  him  I  mean 
to  kill  him ;  it  will  scare  him  away,  and  we  shall  be  rid 
of  him.  It  lies  on  the  surface  that  it  was  merely  a  cun- 
ning threat;  for,  had  the  intent  been  real,  no  warning 
would  have  been  given.  The  blood  of  one  prophet  al- 
ready on  his  hands  was  as  much  as  Antipas  cared  to 
carry. 

But  the  paltry  princeling,  who  held  his  almost  empty 
title  to  the  fourth  of  a  domain  by  grace  of  his  swinish 
master  wallowing  in  filth  at  Capreae,  and  who  aping  the 
imperial  Caesars  succeeded  only  in  the  line  of  their  vices, 
could  hardly  have  desired  the  distinction  arising  from  his 
sly  trick.  For  when  the  interlopers  told  Jesus,  he  saw 
that  their  solicitude  was  a  cheat,  and  coldly  replied : 


THE  WORK  INTERRUPTED  267 

"  Go  and  say  to  that  fox " 

This  epithet,  the  synonym  from  all  antiquity  of  low 
cunning,  is  evidently  uttered  in  cold  contempt,  and  is 
perhaps  the  only  purely  contemptuous  word  Jesus  ever 
spake.  It  has  adhered  ever  since  as  a  surname  to  the 
half  Idumean,  half  Samaritan,  incestuous  murderer. 

Jesus  was  not  to  be  moved  by  a  threat,  empty  or  real. 
No  doubt  he  was  hurt,  for  it  was  very  hard.  He  had 
been  exiled  from  his  home  and  from  Galilee,  had  twice 
barely  escaped  stoning  at  Jerusalem,  and  now  in  Peraea 
is  menaced  with  both  at  once,  banishment  and  death. 
But  his  calm  message  is  : 

"  Behold,  I  go  on  my  way  to-day  and  to-morrow  and 
the  day  following  ;  "  to  which  is  added  the  bitter,  brand- 
ing sarcasm,  "  for  it  cannot  be  that  a  prophet  perish  out 
of  Jerusalem." 

Now  at  this  time  Lazarus,  the  brother  of  Martha  and 
Mary,  was  sick  at  their  home  in  Bethany  of  Judea.  The 
anxious  sisters  had  already  sent  word  to  Jesus  hoping  for 
his  help.  The  courier,  some  strong-limbed  neighbor,  not 
finding  him  at  Bethabara,  had  pushed  onward  to  this 
town  of  Gilead.  There  on  receiving  word  Jesus  had 
responded : 

"  This  sickness  is  not  unto  death,  but  for  the  glory  of 
God,  that  the  Son  of  God  may  be  glorified  thereby."  94 

To  this  the  narrative  naively  adds,  with  the  greatest 
simplicity  and  purity,  Now  Jesus  loved,  rjydnza,  Martha 
and  her  sister  and  Lazarus.  Then  why  did  not  he,  who 
had  from  a  distance  healed  the  son  of  Herod's  steward, 
the  daughter  of  a  heathen  woman,  and  the  slave  of  a 
Roman  centurion,  why  did  not  he  now  utter  the  healing 
word  ?     Or,  why  did  not  he,  Heliand,  go  at  once  to  his 


268  HIS  PER^AN  MINISTRY 

friends  in  distress  and  peril  ?  He  had  unfinished  work  in 
hand ;  so  he  tarried  two  days  in  the  place  where  he  was. 
This  news  interrupting  his  general  work  and  further 
progress  in  Peraea,  came  on  a  Friday,  just  before  the 
Pharisees  warned  him  of  Herod  the  Fox.  Hence  it  was 
that  he  replied  to  them,  I  must  work  to-day  and  to- 
morrow, and  the  third  day  I  am  perfected,  that  is,  shall 
have  finished. 

On  the  next,  the  second  day,  Saturday,  the  Sabbath, 
Jesus  was  invited  to  dinner  by  a  ruler  of  the  Pharisees. 
Evidently  it  was  a  formal  occasion,  a  fashionable  and 
aristocratic  dining.  But  the  invitation  was  extended  to 
the  Nazarene  with  a  sinister  motive.  A  trap  was  laid. 
A  man  swollen  with  dropsy,  some  poor  wretch  for 
whom  nobody  cared,  is  brought  from  his  hovel  into  the 
reception  hall  where  the  guests  are  assembling,  and  so 
placed  in  all  his  unseemliness  that  Jesus,  when  he  enters 
and  is  greeted  by  the  host,  shall  not  fail  to  see  him.  All 
are  watchfully  waiting.  Jesus  enters,  and  is  ceremoniously 
welcomed.  Then  his  eye  falls  on  the  miserable,  abashed 
sufferer,  thus  at  once  shamelessly  made  a  public  spectacle 
and  used  for  a  base  purpose,  and  with  the  keen  glance 
that  always  instantly  detected  evil  intent,  he  sees  through 
the  mean  and  paltry  trick.  Promptly  he  discloses  it  by 
turning  to  the  assembly  with  the  question : 
"  Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on  the  Sabbath,  or  not  ?  " 
The  issue  is  thus  clearly  presented  and  accepted.  But 
they  held  their  peace.  Then  Jesus  took  him,  and  healed 
him,  and  dismissed  him.  And  then  he  reproved  the 
company  for  their  want  of  consistency  and  humanity. 
There  was  no  reply.  Perhaps  they  thought  to  carry  out 
the  plot,  and  prosecute  him  as  a  law-breaker ;  but  let  us 


THE  WORK  INTERRUPTED  269 

hope  rather  that  they  were  heartily  ashamed  of  them- 
selves.95 

The  embarrassment  was  relieved  by  the  announcement 
of  dinner.  The  guests,  being  village  aristocrats,  were 
punctilious  of  etiquette,  jealous  of  precedence,  and 
solicitous  to  secure  at  table  the  couches  of  honor.  Jesus 
seeing  this  reproved  their  lack  of  social  discretion  in 
words  of  wide  significance.  Afterwards,  turning  to  the 
host,  and  referring  to  the  present  company,  he  gave  him 
some  wholesome  advice  about  the  selection  of  guests, 
which  also  had  a  wider  meaning.  The  table-talk  of 
Jesus  was  always  seasoned  with  salt.  Was  he  guilty 
here  of  ill  manners  ?  Let  us  remember  :  First,  we  should 
not  transfer  to  a  distant  clime  and  time  our  notions  of 
etiquette.  Secondly,  he  was  absolved  from  the  claims  of 
courtesy  on  discovering  the  malign  intent  with  which  he 
had  been  invited.     Thirdly,  Quod  non  licet  bovi,  licet  Jovi. 

The  situation  was  again  embarrassing.  One  of  the 
guests  sought,  by  an  unctuous  speech,  to  turn  aside  this 
salty  table-talk.  He  failed ;  for  Jesus  continued  in  the 
same  vein,  concluding  with  the  parable  of  The  Great 
Supper.  So  ended  the  Peraean  dining,  and  the  second 
day  of  delay. 

The  next  morning,  Sunday,  the  two  days  having 
passed,  Jesus  said  to  his  disciples : 

"  Let  us  go  into  Judea  again."  x 

To  this  proposed  return  they  objected,  saying : 

"  Rabbi,  the  Jews  were  but  now  seeking  to  stone  thee ; 
and  goest  thou  thither  again  ?  " 

He  rejoined  that  during  the  day  of  one's  appointed 
work,  he  walks  securely.  After  this,  his  divine  eyes 
looking  into  the  distance  and  the  future,  he  said : 


2-jo  HIS  PER^EAN  MINISTRY 

"  Our  friend  Lazarus  is  fallen  asleep ;  but  I  go,  that  I 
may  awake  him  out  of  sleep." 

With  what  mild  detraction  is  here  predicted  a  wonder 
of  the  world's  history,  and  hinge  of  the  world's  faith. 
The  disciples,  though  they  knew  he  had  said  of  a 
lifeless  girl,  She  is  not  dead,  but  sleepeth,  mistook  now 
his  meaning,  and  thinking  perhaps  that  he  had  sent  a 
healing  sleep,  responded  : 

"  Lord,  if  he  is  fallen  asleep,  he  will  recover." 

They  were  glad  no  doubt ;  and  especially  as  in  that 
case  they  need  not  go  into  Judea;  for  evidently  they  did 
not  want  to  go.  Then  Jesus  therefore  said  unto  them 
plainly : 

"  Lazarus  is  dead.  And  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes  that 
I  was  not  there,  to  the  intent  ye  may  believe." 

Had  Jesus  been  there,  Lazarus  had  not  died.  He 
could  not  have  witnessed  unmoved  the  pain,  the  grief  of 
dear  ones,  nor  have  allowed  in  his  presence  the  triumph 
of  Death.     Indeed  Jesus  never  saw  any  one  die. 

Lazarus  had  died  the  previous  day,  Saturday,  and  in 
accord  with  Oriental  custom  was  on  the  same  day  en- 
tombed. To  the  announcement  of  his  decease,  Jesus 
added  : 

«  Nevertheless  let  us  go  to  him." 

Then  said  Thomas,  turning  to  his  fellow-disciples : 

"  Let  us  also  go,  that  we  may  die  with  him." 

Desponding,  doubting  Thomas,  but  brave  and  true. 
He  would  follow  to  die  with  him.     Write  it  in  his  epitaph. 

Then  Jesus  with  the  apostles  left  the  town  of  Gilead, 
to  walk  that  day,  Sunday,  as  far  as  Bethabara,  his  late 
abode.  And  there  followed  him  great  multitudes.  See- 
ing this  he  turned  and  said  unto  them  : 


THE  WORK  INTERRUPTED  271 

"  Whosoever  doth  not  bear  his  own  cross,  and  come 
after  me,  cannot  be  my  disciple." 

This  is  the  second  mention  of  the  cross.  He  was 
passing  deeper  into  its  shadow.  To  this  he  added  a 
severe  admonition  of  those  who  were  curiously  or  per- 
haps thoughtlessly  following,  to  count  the  cost  of  dis- 
cipleship,  a  cost  of  all  that  is  usually  accounted  most 
dear.97 

Imagine  this  great  company,  having  walked  a  weary 
way  westward  from  Mt.  Gilead,  pausing  at  noonday  for 
rest  and  refreshment.  See  them  in  their  garb  of  bright 
colors  seating  themselves  in  groups  on  the  green,  and  on 
convenient  rocks,  here  and  there  in  the  sunshine  of  the 
coming  spring.  On  the  east  rises  the  rugged  and  bare 
mountain,  whose  shadows  have  vanished  in  the  meridian 
sunlight  that  tinges  its  sombre  gray  with  gold.  West- 
ward lies  the  deep  Jordan  valley,  whose  vast  spread  of 
green  foliage  is  unable  to  hide  everywhere  the  silvery 
sheen  of  the  winding  stream.  Upon  the  meadow  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees  gather  scrupulously  to  themselves, 
a  little  apart  from  where  Jesus  is  seated,  but  near  enough 
to  catch  his  words ;  the  publicans  and  sinners  draw  as 
close  to  him  as  possible,  that  they  may  hear  him.  All 
take  from  their  wallets  what  they  have  provided,  and  the 
repast  begins. 

The  soured  Pharisees  and  Scribes  soon  murmur,  say- 
ing, This  man  receiveth  sinners,  and  eateth  with  them. 
Jesus  turns  and  reproves  them  with  the  parables  of  The 
Lost  Sheep,  The  Lost  Coin,  and  that  most  precious  gem, 
The  Prodigal  Son.  In  this  last  the  two  sons  allegorize 
the  two  classes  of  men  then  and  there  listening.  Since  it 
is  evident  that  on  other  occasions  the  great  Teacher  used 
objects  at  hand  to  illustrate  and  impress  his  lessons,  per- 


272  HIS  PER^EAN  MINISTRY 

haps  on  this  occasion  there  was  in  sight  a  flock  of  sheep 
and  its  shepherd  on  the  mountain  slope ;  and  in  the  dark 
valley,  a  herd  of  swine  and  its  swinish  keeper. 

Among  his  new  disciples  then  around  him  were  a 
number  of  publicans.  In  a  few  hours  these  are  to  be 
parted  from  their  Teacher,  and  he  seizes  this  last  oppor- 
tunity for  personal  instruction.  Knowing  it  to  be  common 
for  tax-gatherers  to  grow  rich  by  unjust  exactions,  and 
by  rendering  less  than  they  received,  in  the  parable  of 
The  Unjust  Steward,  the  Teacher  clearly  yet  delicately 
intimates  both  his  knowledge  of  their  former  practice, 
and  directions  for  their  future  conduct.  The  steward  of 
the  parable  is  a  sharper  of  the  first  water,  and  extricates 
himself  from  his  difficulties  admirably.  By  a  clever 
device  he  at  once  rectifies  his  accounts,  lays  the  victims 
of  his  exactions  under  grateful  obligations,  and  quiets  his 
own  conscience.  The  lesson  is,  No  man  can  serve  two 
masters  ;  ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon. 

The  Pharisees,  having  rallied  from  their  recent  discom- 
fiture, and  being  with  all  their  austerity  a  covetous  set, 
proposing  to  serve  both  God  and  mammon,  sneered  at 
(turned  up  the  nose  at,  ^eixukr^pt^ov)  the  teaching. 
This  called  down  upon  them  renewed  severity,  and  then 
is  addressed  to  them  the  unique  parable  of  Dives  and 
Lazarus.  "  It  is  a  sublime  delineation  of  this  side  and  of 
that  side  of  the  grave  in  astounding  antitheses.  What  is 
the  trilogy  of  Dante,  in  which  he  sings  Hell,  Purgatory, 
and  Heaven,  compared  with  this  trilogy,  which  places 
by  a  few  but  thrilling  strokes  the  great  whole  of  Earth, 
Hades,  and  Paradise  at  once  before  our  eyes  ?  In  the 
vesture  of  a  figure,  taken  from  the  eschatology  of  his 
time,  our  Lord  makes  here  the  most  astonishing  disclos- 
ures, and  lifts  the  veil  which  covers  the  secrets  of  the 


THE  WORK  INTERRUPTED  273 

future."  From  this  parable  the  word  Lazarus  has  fur- 
nished, in  modified  forms,  certain  common  nouns  to  all 
European  languages.  It  is  the  only  parable  containing  a 
personal  name.  Was  not  Jesus  thinking  of  his  friend 
just  deceased  at  Bethany  ?  A  foreshadow  of  the  coming 
event  is  the  proposal  of  the  suffering  Dives  that  Lazarus 
be  raised  from  the  dead  to  convince  the  unbelieving. 

The  noonday  repast  is  ended.  Many  of  the  company 
return  homeward ;  for  after  the  halt  we  hear  no  more  of 
the  multitude,  but  only  of  the  disciples  and  then  of  the 
apostles.  These  spent  the  night  at  Bethabara,  and  next 
day,  Monday,  pursued  their  way  southward.  To  them 
Jesus,  alluding  to  recent  scenes,  said : 

"  It  is  impossible  but  that  occasions  of  stumbling  should 
come ;  but  woe  to  him  through  whom  they  come.  It 
were  well  for  him  if  a  millstone  were  hanged  about  his 
neck,  and  he  were  thrown  into  the  sea." 

Perhaps  from  some  rising  ground  their  eyes  were  then 
resting  on  the  Dead  Sea,  stretching  darkly  towards  the 
southern  horizon.98 

Yet  they  are  to  abound,  he  tells  them,  in  forgiveness 
to  the  erring  and  repenting.  Finding  it  hard,  they 
humbly  pray,  Increase  our  faith.  His  reply  is  spirited, 
and  apparently  tinged  with  impatience. 

"  If  ye  have  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  ye  would 
say  unto  this  sycamine  tree,"  pointing  to  one  by  the 
roadside,  "  Be  thou  rooted  up,  and  be  thou  planted  in 
the  sea  yonder ;  and  it  would  have  obeyed  you." 

That  afternoon  they  crossed  the  Jordan  ford  to  Jericho. 
Having  tarried  there  over  night,  they  proceed  on  Tues- 
day to  climb  afoot  the  steep  road  leading  to  Jerusalem, 


274  HIS  PER.EAN  MINISTRY 

twenty  miles  distant,  and  in  the  wane  of  day  reach  the 
suburb  of  the  village  of  Bethany  of  Judea.  What  there 
took  place  that  evening  may  fairly  be  included  as  the 
culmination  and  close  of  his  Perasan  ministry. 


XXII 

THE  GREAT  MIRACLE 

THE  village  of  Bethany  lay  nearly  two  miles  east 
of  Jerusalem,  and  more  than  a  mile  beyond  the 
intervening  ridge  of  Olivet.  Being  some  dis- 
tance aside  from  the  highway,  the  situation  was  admi- 
rably fitted  for  seclusion  and  repose.  To-day  it  is  repre- 
sented by  a  hamlet  of  about  twenty  families,  and  is  known 
as  El  Azariah,  a  corruption  of  the  word  Lazarus.  The 
name  Bethany  means  house  of  dates.  As  dates  are  fruit 
of  the  palm,  we  may  suppose  that  formerly  the  village 
nestled  in  a  grove  of  palms.  Its  name  has  become  a 
synonym  for  calm  retirement,  peace,  purity,  and  fraternal 
love. 

In  the  last  days  of  February,  a.  d.  30,  the  family  at 
Bethany,  two  sisters  and  a  brother,  was  in  distress. 
Lazarus  was  sick.  How  they  longed  for  their  friend,  the 
Healer !  In  his  first  recorded  visit,  he  had  probably,  as 
was  his  wont,  healed  all  the  sick  in  the  village.  Why 
not  send  for  him  now  ?  They  hesitate,  because  they 
knew  his  danger,  and  did  not  rate  the  cure  of  Lazarus 
higher  than  the  safety  of  Jesus.  But  soon  the  deepening 
malady  brought  the  gentle  sisters  to  despair  of  natural 
recovery,  and  in  dread  of  a  fatal  calamity,  they  send  word 
at  last.  How  exquisitely  feminine  is  the  message  ! 
"  Lord,  behold,  he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick." 
The  phrase,  whom  thou  lovest,  is  delicately  solicitous 
and  hopeful  of  help.     But  there  is  no  direct  request  for 

275 


276  HIS  PERjEAN  MINISTRY 

him  to  come,  no  definite  suggestion  of  any  action.  They 
confide  in  his  sympathy  and  wisdom.  Fraternal  love  re- 
quires thus  much,  reverent  fear  forbids  more. 

The  messenger  hastens  away.  He  does  not,  as  was 
expected,  return  the  next  evening.  The  Sabbath  morn- 
ing dawns  ;  the  brother  dies. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  according  to  custom, 
he  was  entombed.  The  body  was  laid  in  a  niche  in  the 
side  of  a  cave,  and  the  mouth  of  the  cave  closed  by  a 
great  stone  rolled  against  it.  Such  tombs  abound  in  the 
vicinity  of  Jerusalem.  The  possession  of  a  burial  vault 
indicates  that  the  family  did  not  belong  to  the  poorest 
class ;  and  the  precious  ointment,  hereafter  mentioned, 
indicates  means,  if  not  wealth.  The  large  attendance  of 
Jews  from  Jerusalem  on  a  visit  of  condolence,  is  evidence 
of  social  position  and  consideration. 

When  the  bereaved  sisters  returned  at  sunset  to  their 
dark  and  desolate  home,  they  found  the  messenger  they 
had  sent,  and  hear  the  reply  of  Jesus  to  their  message  of 
love  and  trust : 

"  This  sickness  is  not  unto  death." 

How  strange,  how  perplexing,  how  incredible  !  Their 
faith  was  sorely  tried.  It  did  not  fail.  They  pondered 
and  talked  of  these  mysterious  words  for  days.  Evi- 
dently they  did  not  catch  the  meaning,  but  they  mingled 
with  them  fresh  words  of  confidence,  often  saying  to 
each  other : 

"  Had  our  Lord  been  here,  our  brother  had  not  died." 

Did  they  expect  him  yet  to  come  ?  Apparently  they 
did  not. 

Tuesday,  the  fourth  day,  a  day  appointed  for  lamenta- 
tion, was  waning.     Many  friends  and  acquaintances,  some 


THE  GREAT  MIRACLE  277 

belonging  to  the  Temple  party,  had  come  from  Jerusalem 
to  comfort  the  sisters  concerning  their  brother.  The 
house  was  full  of  company.  Mary  was  sitting  quietly  in 
a  retired  part.  Martha  was  bustling  about,  seeing  to  the 
needs  of  the  guests.  Thus  she  was  in  the  way  to  receive 
word,  sent  in  advance  for  her  ear  alone,  that  her  friend 
with  his  followers  was  approaching  the  village.  She  im- 
mediately went  out  to  meet  him.  "  The  Jews,  which 
came  to  Mary,"  did  not  follow ;  it  was  supposed  that 
some  hospitable  care  had  called  Martha  away." 

Martha  found  Jesus  just  outside  the  village,  alone  under 
the  palms.  She  did  not  bow  down  before  him,  but  at 
once  exclaimed  : 

"  Lord,  hadst  thou  been  here,  my  brother  had  not  died." 

Is  there  reproach  for  his  late  coming  in  these  words  ? 
No ;  for  she  knew  by  the  hour  of  the  messenger's  return, 
that  Jesus  could  not  have  reached  Bethany  before  the 
death  of  her  brother.  The  words  contain  only  confidence 
and  sorrow.     She  adds  : 

"  And  even  now  I  know  that  whatsoever  thou  shalt 
ask  of  God,  God  will  give  thee." 

There  is  evidently  an  undefined  hope  in  her  heart ;  a 
blessing  of  some  sort  must  follow  his  coming ;  and  she 
gives  a  gentle  hint  of  her  expectation.  She  rightly  esti- 
mates his  favor  with  God,  but  underrates  his  own  personal 
power.  She  needs  light.  His  response  is  an  advance  in 
thought,  yet  ambiguous. 

'*  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again." 

Martha  shrinks  instinctively  from  the  idea  of  an  im- 
mediate return  to  life,  vaguely  doubting  the  worth  of  a 
renewal  to  end  again  in  sickness,  sorrow,  pain  and  death. 
So  she  fixes  on  the  alternative  meaning,  and  still  ready 
to  talk,  says : 


278  HIS  PERjEAN  MINISTRY 

"  I  know  that  he  shall  rise  again  in  the  resurrection  at 
the  last  day." 

In  the  dark,  she  is  feeling  her  way.  The  rejoinder  of 
the  Lord  recalls  her  attention  forcibly  to  himself  as  pos- 
sessing inherent  authority  and  power. 

"  I  am  the  resurrection,  and  the  life ;  he  that  believeth 
on  me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live ;  and  whosoever 
liveth  and  believeth  on  me  shall  never  die." 

Greater  words  than  these  were  never  spoken.  They 
announce  the  death  of  death,  and  the  eternal  life  of  life. 
This  sublime  revelation  is  evidently  the  central  idea  of 
the  episode,  and  is  immediately  to  be  confirmed  by  a 
great  miracle,  an  actual  case,  symbolizing  the  universal 
and  eternal  resurrection.  Indeed  this  revelation  is  the 
central  idea  of  the  gospel  of  salvation  bringing  life  and 
immortality  to  light;  for,  if  there  be  no  resurrection,  our 
faith  is  vain. 

Let  it  be  noted  that  the  words  fall  into  three  clauses ; 
the  first  asserting  supremacy,  the  second  referring  to  the 
resurrection,  the  third  to  the  life.  Also  note  that 
throughout,  the  physical  and  the  spiritual  are  inseparably 
blended.  Moreover,  observe  how  strikingly  this  cardinal 
revelation,  made  privately  under  the  palms  to  the  woman 
of  Bethany,  an  ordinary  housewife,  is  similar  to  that 
made  privately  at  the  well  to  the  woman  of  Samaria,  a 
common  gossip  :  Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that 
I  shall  give  him,  shall  never  thirst;  but  it  shall  be  in 
him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  unto  eternal  life. 

After  a  pause,  during  which  the  bewildered  Martha 
gazed  on  him,  he  asked : 

"  Believest  thou  this  ?  " 

He  did  not  ask,  Understandest  thou  this  ?  Certainly  she 
did  not,  or  at  most  but  dimly.     Nor  do  we,  even  in  the 


THE  GREAT  MIRACLE  279 

light  of  subsequent  teachings  and  events,  fully  understand 
its  mysteries. 

Martha  continually  reminds  us  of  St.  Peter,  and  Mary 
of  St.  John.  Here  the  reply  of  Martha  is  an  exact  counter- 
part of  Peter's  great  confession. 

"  Yea,  Lord ;  I  believe  that  thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God." 

Very  beautiful  is  this  answer.  She  heartily  believed 
his  incomprehensible  saying,  because  she  believed  in  him. 
This  childlike  faith  was  enough.  Then  Jesus  bade  her 
call  her  sister. 

Mary  in  her  privacy,  received  the  whispered  message : 

"  The  Teacher  is  here,  and  calleth  thee." 

Instantly  she  arose  and  went  out  quickly.  "  The 
Jews,  which  came  to  Mary,"  seeing  this,  and  knowing 
the  different  character  of  the  sisters,  followed,  saying  : 

"  She,  she  goeth  to  the  tomb  to  weep." 

Jesus  was  waiting  under  the  palms.  On  coming  to 
him,  Mary  at  once  bowed  down  at  his  feet  in  tears,  and 
sobbing  said  : 

"  Lord,  hadst  thou  been  here,  my  brother  had  not 
died." 

The  very  words  of  Martha.  Evidently  they  had  often 
said  this  to  each  other.  Perhaps  grief  prevented  her 
saying  more,  or  perhaps  she  was  taciturn  ;  for  this  echo 
of  her  sister  is  her  only  word  on  record.  Yet  the  gentle 
maiden,  Mary  of  Bethany,  not  only  was  the  chief  attrac- 
tion in  her  home,  but  also  is  well  known  and  admired, 
beloved  and  honored  throughout  all  Christendom. 

When  Jesus  saw  her  weeping,  and  the  Jews  also  weep- 
ing which  came  with  her,  "  he  was  moved  with  indig- 
nation in  the  spirit,  and  aroused  himself."  In  this 
extraordinary  statement,  which  is  not  too  forcibly  trans- 


280  HIS  PERiEAN  MINISTRY 

lated,  the  first  phrase  implies  anger ;  the  second,  its 
tacit  expression.  How  may  it  be  interpreted?  Evi- 
dently it  means  much  more  than  sympathetic  grief. 

In  a  free  sense,  Jesus  was  a  passionate  man.  United 
with  his  great  intellect  and  mighty  will,  was  a  deep  and 
strong  sensibility.  How  ardent  and  tender  his  love  for 
his  personal  friends,  how  profound  his  sorrows,  how 
quick  and  powerful  the  impulse  of  pity,  how  hot  and 
sudden  the  flashes  of  his  indignation,  how  fierce  and 
bitter  his  scorn  of  hypocrisy  !  All  these,  too,  were 
stimulated  to  preternatural  exercise  by  a  rapid,  sharp  and 
clear  imagination  that  depicted  vividly  and  truly  what 
was  beyond  the  reach  of  sense.  Nor  did  he  repress  the 
natural,  outward  manifestation  of  feeling.  Witness  his 
outburst  over  the  beggar  that  had  been  blind.  Jesus 
was  no  stoic.  Indeed  the  chains  of  ancient  Stoicism 
were  broken,  and  it  put  to  shame  by  the  free  spirit  of 
Christianity. 

Yet  it  is  hardly  accurate  to  say  that  he  was  passionate  ; 
both  because  of  the  bad  sense  commonly  attached  to  the 
word,  and  because  its  primary  meaning  indicates  sub- 
jection to  feeling,  the  sway  of  emotion  over  intellect  and 
will.  With  him,  however,  feeling  and  desire  were  in  con- 
stant and  perfect  subordination,  and  performed  their 
normal  and  needful  functions  in  his  human  nature.  He 
was  as  man  before  the  fall.  He  was  God's  ideal,  once 
again  realized.  Moreover,  in  his  case,  the  word  passion 
should  be  reserved  for  its  sacred  application  to  his  final 
suffering,  when  he  subjected  himself  to  objective  evil. 

On  the  present  occasion  there  was  a  strong,  self- 
aroused  manifestation  of  anger.  But  anger  at  what,  with 
whom  ?     Was  it  that  he  saw  in  the  mourners  before  him, 


THE  GREAT  MIRACLE  281 

and  in  the  tomb  of  his  friend,  an  epitome  of  all  the  suf- 
fering and  dying  in  the  coming  ages,  and  that  there 
passed  before  his  eye  all  the  funeral  trains  of  time? 
This  might  be  ground  for  infinite  sorrow,  but  not  in  itself 
for  anger.  Was  he  angry  at  sin  and  death  ?  These  are 
abstractions.  Real  anger  requires  for  its  object  a  real 
person.  Was  he  angry  with  those  Jews  before  him  who 
were  inimical  to  him,  and  whose  show  of  grief  was  per- 
haps insincere  ?  Surely  they  were  an  inadequate  object 
for  so  great  a  movement  of  his  spirit.  Apparently  there 
was  no  person  present  who  could  be  the  object  of  this 
profound  agitation. 

Let  us  recall  to  mind  the  strong  emphasis  given,  in  the 
gospel  narrative,  to  his  conflict  at  the  outset  with  his 
great  personal  enemy,  the  enemy  of  mankind.  True  he 
won  the  battle  gloriously.  Satan  departed  from  him ; 
but  only  for  a  season.  That  one  defeat  was  insufficient 
to  wrest  from  him  the  sovereignty  of  the  world.  He  re- 
tired to  recuperate,  and  to  renew  the  struggle  with  all 
his  collected  powers  at  every  opportunity.  During  the 
life  of  Jesus  the  battle  was  often  repeated,  the  war  was 
continual.  It  is  seen  in  the  extraordinary  prevalence  of 
demoniacal  possession ;  also  in  the  blind  and  intense 
malignity  of  his  human  adversaries,  which  seems  explica- 
ble only  by  an  uncommon  activity  of  satanic  influences 
perverting  the  mind  of  that  generation.  The  conflict 
deepened  to  the  bitter  end.  At  the  cross  and  tomb, 
Satan  apparently  triumphed  ;  but,  in  glorious  reversal, 
on  the  resurrection  morn,  Christ  wrested  the  sceptre  from 
him,  and  led  captive  the  captives. 

Let  us  return  to  Bethany.  There  in  the  centre  of  the 
group   of  disciples    and   mourners,  stands   the   warring 


282  HIS  PER.EAN  MINISTRY      . 

Prince  of  Light.  Invisible  to  others,  but  present  to  him, 
is  the  hostile  Prince  of  Darkness.  This  father  of  sin, 
and  sorrow,  and  death,  this  destroyer,  had  put  forth  his 
hand,  and  smitten  the  Saviour's  friends.  And  Jesus  was 
angry ;  angry  with  him  ;  and  aroused  himself  to  wrest 
from  his  hand  the  prey,  and  to  restore  to  life,  light  and 
love  the  brother  whom  he  loved. 

"  Where  have  ye  laid  him  ?  " 

"  Lord,  come  and  see." 

They  led  the  way  southeastward  from  the  village,  down 
deeper  into  the  valley. 

Jesus  wept. 

The  tears  of  Jesus  on  the  way  to  the  tomb  were  not 
of  anger,  nor  of  sorrow,  but  of  sympathy.  The  word 
here  translated  wept,  means  a  silent,  gentle  weeping,  in 
contrast  with  the  crying  of  the  sisters.  For  him,  he 
knowing  what  was  about  to  occur,  there  was  no  cause 
to  sorrow.  His  tears  were  tears  of  human  sympathy 
only.  He  simply  weeps  with  those  that  weep.  He  wept 
over  Jerusalem,  and  in  Gethsemane,  but  Jesus  comes 
nearer  to  us  in  this  weeping  on  the  way  to  Lazarus' 
tomb. 

Said  the  Jews  whispering  to  one  another : 

"  Behold  how  he  loved  him  ! " 

Some,  they  from  Jerusalem,  wondered,  and  said : 

"  But  could  not  he,  which  gave  sight  to  the  blind 
beggar,  have  prevented  this  death  ?  " 

Now  in  the  dim  twilight  of  the  day  and  shadow  of  the 
valley,  before  the  vertical  face  of  the  rock  and  the  stone 
which  lay  against  it,  stand  the  twelve,  the  sisters,  and  a 
dozen  or  more  Jews,  partly  friendly,  partly  inimical  to 
Jesus,  who  is  the  central  figure.     There  is  no  great  con- 


THE  GREAT  MIRACLE  283 

course,  for  he  had  avoided  arousing  the  village,  yet  here 
are  exactly  the  kinds  of  witnesses  fit  for  indisputable  tes- 
timony. The  invisible  Adversary  with  his  cohort  also 
attends ;  and  this,  in  view  of  the  tomb,  excites  another 
storm  of  divine  indignation  in  the  soul  of  Jesus.  Heaven, 
too,  is  looking  on. 

"  Take  ye  away  the  stone." 

Martha,  whose  faith  has  ebbed,  remonstrates,  shocked 
at  the  thought  of  exposure.  Her  words  are  character- 
istically ready,  plain  and  practical.  She  is  silenced  by  a 
gentle  rebuke;  and  the  stone  is  rolled  aside.  All  stand 
trembling  and  anxiously  peering  into  the  gloomy  vault, 
the  gateway  of  death.  Jesus  lifts  his  eyes  and  voice  to 
heaven  in  thanksgiving  prayer.  He  speaks  to  be  heard 
by  all.  He  had  often  been  accused  of  league  with  Satan, 
the  foe  he  confronts.  Now,  before  witnesses,  like  Elijah 
at  Carmel,  he  calls  upon  his  Father  to  vindicate  his  Son. 
Then  he  cries  with  a  loud  voice : 

"  Lazarus,  come  forth." 

That  mighty  cry  thrills  through  the  abyss,  the  domin- 
ion of  death,  and  breaks  its  insuperable  power.  The 
soul  is  rendered  up,  and  at  once  a  white,  spectre-like 
figure  stands  in  the  dark  door,  now  the  gateway  of  life. 

On  the  first  day  of  time,  that  voice  proclaimed,  Let 
there  be  light ;  and  light  was.  On  the  last  day  of  time, 
the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout, 
Let  there  be  life ;  and  life  shall  be.  Yea,  the  dead  shall 
live  again.  Marvel  not  at  this  ;  for  the  hour  cometh  in 
which  all  that  are  in  the  tombs  shall  hear  his  voice,  and 
shall  come  forth. 

Doubtless  all  present  stood  numb  with  amazement  and 
awe.  But  Lazarus  needed  assistance.  The  cerements 
of  the  tomb  did  not  entirely  prevent  motion,  but  im- 


284  HIS  PER^EAN  MINISTRY 

peded  him ;  and  the  napkin  about  his  face  blinded  him. 
The  words  last  spoken  were  those  of  an  almighty  God ; 
the  next  are  those  of  a  calm,  self-possessed  man. 

"  Loose  him,  and  let  him  go." 

The  dictate  of  practical  common  sense.  His  equanim- 
ity is  not  disturbed ;  but,  as  when  he  raised  the  little 
girl,  so  here  he  is  thoughtfully  considerate  of  a  simple, 
ordinary  need  which  others  could  relieve.  All  melo- 
dramatic effect  is  thoroughly  spoiled  by  this  lame  and 
impotent  conclusion ;  but  how  vividly  it  brings  out  the 
reality,  and  how  forcibly  do  these  extremes  indicate  the 
compass  of  his  character  ! 

"  St.  John  here  breaks  off  the  narrative  of  the  miracle 
itself,  leaving  us  to  imagine  their  joy,  who  thus  beyond 
all  expectation  received  back  their  dead  from  the  tomb ; 
a  joy  which  was  well  nigh  theirs  alone,  among  all  the 
mourners  of  all  times, 

« Who  to  the  verge  have  followed  that  they  love, 

And  on  the  insuperable  threshold  stand ; 
With  cherished  names  its  speechless  calm  reprove, 
And  stretch  in  the  abyss  their  ungrasped  hand.'  " 

This  great  miracle,  in  which  the  three  recorded  rais- 
ings from  the  dead  culminate  by  striking  gradations,  was 
wrought  to  exemplify  and  prove  the  central  doctrine  and 
promise  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  and  prefigured  his  own 
resurrection,  the  cardinal  miracle  on  which  the  Gospel 
hinges.  In  view  of  the  record,  Spinoza,  himself  a  Jew,  a 
logician,  a  philosopher,  the  father  of  modern  pantheism, 
said,  If  I  could  be  convinced  of  the  resurrection  of  Laz- 
arus, I  would  dash  to  pieces  my  whole  system,  and  with- 
out repugnance  embrace  the  entire  faith  of  Christians. 
Yet,  strange  to  say,  it  failed  to  convert  some  of  the  Jews 
who  witnessed  it.     These  precursors  of  Judas   returned 


THE  GREAT  MIRACLE  285 

to  Jerusalem,  and  betrayed  to  the   Pharisees  what  the 
Nazarene  had  done. 


A  session  of  the  Sanhedrin  was  called,  and  the  question 
raised,  What  shall  we  do  ?  for  this  man,  as  they  con- 
temptuously term  him,  doeth  many  signs.  The  reality 
of  the  miracles  they  could  not,  and  hence  did  not  deny. 
But  he  is  a  man  dangerous  to  the  State.  They  cloak 
malignity  with  sham  patriotism,  that  last  refuge  of  a 
scoundrel.  See  their  hypocrisy,  the  homage  vice  pays 
to  virtue !  If  we  do  nothing,  the  people  will  believe  on 
him,  will  hail  him  as  Messiah,  will  crown  and  enthrone 
him  ;  then  the  Romans  will  come  upon  us,  extinguish 
our  authority,  destroy  this  Temple,  the  Holy  City,  and 
even  our  national  existence.  Thus,  in  seeking  to  justify 
a  coveted  crime,  they  utter  an  unconscious  prophecy.100 

The  discussion  was  closed  by  Caiaphas,  the  High 
Priest  and  ex-officio  President  of  the  Sanhedrin,  who 
scornfully  rendered  the  decision. 

"  Ye  know  nothing  at  all,"  said  this  haughty  man,  yet 
falling  in  with  their  half-spoken  desire,  "  nor  do  ye  take 
account  that  it  is  expedient  for  you  that  one  man  should 
die  for  the  people,  and  that  the  whole  nation  perish  not." 

This  was  a  Jewish  adage,  conformable  to  the  political 
principle  of  pagan  antiquity  that  the  citizen  is  solely  for 
the  welfare  of  the  State,  and,  to  secure  it,  should  be  sac- 
rificed. Accordingly,  inspired  with  the  wisdom  that 
cometh  from  below,  the  sentence  of  the  court  is,  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  in  Galilee  must  die.  There  is  no  hearing,  no 
charge  preferred,  no  guilt  pronounced.  Yet  he  must 
die ;  it  is  expedient.  But  the  High  Priest,  in  rendering 
this  decision  ex  cathedra,  spake  not  merely  his  own  will. 
Inspired  unconsciously  with  the  wisdom   that   cometh 


286  HIS  PER^AN  MINISTRY 

from  above,  he  prophesied  that  the  Saviour  should  die 
for  the  nation,  and  for  the  world.  It  was  fitting  that  the 
Aaronic  priesthood,  having  completed  its  course  and 
about  to  be  superseded  by  the  one  great  High  Priest 
consecrated  forevermore,  should  with  its  expiring  breath 
announce  the  final  sacrifice  which  it  now  prepared  to 
offer,  and  the  eternal  mediation  which  it  so  long  pre- 
figured. The  Evil  Spirit  was  present  in  that  Council, 
and  dictated  its  decision.  The  Holy  Spirit  was  present 
in  that  Council,  and  set  his  seal  to  its  decision. 

The  Sanhedrin  furthermore  published  an  edict  that 
any  one  knowing  where  the  Nazarene  might  be  found, 
should  give  information,  in  order  to  his  arrest.  This  led 
ultimately  to  his  betrayal.  In  immediate  effect  it  was  an 
interdict  against  harboring  him,  and  thus  a  snare  for  the 
family  at  Bethany.  For  the  Sadducees,  with  Caiaphas 
their  leader,  denied  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection,  and 
concerning  it  engaged  in  fierce  disputes  with  the  Phari- 
sees ;  and,  as  Lazarus  was  now  a  living  witness  against 
them,  causing  many  adherents  to  apostatize,  they  finally 
became  so  exasperated  that  they  sought  to  put  him  also 
to  death.  Thus  extreme  and  bitter  disagreement  brought 
around  agreement,  and  a  fusion  of  the  hostile  parties  in 
their  criminal  purpose.  And  hence  it  is  that  the  Saddu- 
cees now  for  the  first  time  come  prominently  and  actively 
forward  in  the  gospel  history. 

Jesus  would  not  expose  his  friends  at  Bethany,  nor  as 
yet  himself,  to  the  hostility  of  the  hierarchy.  He  there- 
fore promptly  and  privately  retired  with  the  twelve  to 
Ephraim,  in  the  northeast  of  Judea,  near  the  upper  ex- 
tremity of  the  Wilderness,  and  aside  from  the  frequented 
highways.  There  for  about  a  fortnight  he  tarried  in  si- 
lence and  seclusion  with  his  disciples.101 


PART  EIGHTH 


His  Final  Presentation 


XXIII 
THE  ROYAL  PROGRESS 

THE  silent  sojourn  at  Ephraim  marks  an  im- 
portant epoch  in  the  story  of  the  Nazarene.  His 
evangelical  ministry  was  completed.  There 
were  yet  healings  and  teachings,  but  they  were  inci- 
dental. The  kingdom  had  been  certified  as  at  hand ; 
henceforth  the  dominating  intent  is  the  establishment  of 
the  kingdom.  He  goes  in  lowly  yet  royal  state  to  Je- 
rusalem, the  capital,  to  the  Temple,  the  capitol,  and 
peacefully,  but  formally  and  distinctly  offers  himself  to 
the  Jewish  nation  assembled  for  the  Passover  as  its 
Messianic  King,  and  is  rejected.  The  royal  progress, 
the  proffer  and  rejection  occupy  a  little  more  than  two 
weeks,  and  are  the  subjects  of  the  present  pericope. 

In  the  early  spring,  about  the  middle  of  March,  a.  d. 
30,  Jesus  with  his  twelve  disciples,  left  Ephraim,  and 
went  directly  northward  through  Samaria  into  Galilee. 
It  was  his  intention  to  present  himself  in  Jerusalem 
during  the  pending  passover  week,  the  first  in  April. 
Also  he  intended  that  his  formal  progress  thither  should 
be  from  Capernaum.  There  were  many  reasons  for  this 
which  are  obvious.  One  is  that  his  mother,  and  her  sis- 
ters, Salome  and  Mary  wife  of  Clopas,  were  going  to  this 
Passover,  and  it  was  fitting  that  he,  and  their  sons  among 
the  apostles  should  be  with  them. 102 

While  on   the  way  northward,  he  was   met   by  ten 

289 


290  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

lepers,  who  standing  afar  off  lifted  up  painfully  their 
husky  voices,  and  cried  out,  Jesus,  Master,  have  mercy 
on  us.  Prompt  as  an  echo  came  the  reply,  Go,  shew 
yourselves  to  the  priests.  As  they  went,  they  were 
cleansed.  One,  a  Samaritan,  returned  to  him  shouting, 
and  fell  on  his  face  at  his  feet,  giving  him  thanks.  Then 
Jesus  sadly  asked  : 

"  Were  there  not  ten  cleansed  ?  Where  are  the  nine  ? 
Have  none  returned  to  glorify  God,  save  this  alien  ?  " 

This  last  miracle  in  Galilee,  at  the  outset  of  the  new 
movement,  is  very  significant.  His  own  people  turn 
away.  Hereafter  he  must  look  for  acceptance  to  aliens 
from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel.  Hence  the  profound 
pathos  of  that  question,  Where  are  the  nine  ? 

As  he  journeyed  onward,  did  he  not  stop  at  Nain,  to 
rest  in  the  home  of  the  widow  and  her  son  ?  May  be  he 
spoke  a  gentle  word  to  the  woman  who  had  been  a 
sinner ;  and  may  be  he  asked  Simon  the  Pharisee  an- 
other question.  Surely  he  went  to  Nazareth.  He  would 
see  once  more  the  house  where  he  had  lived  for  thirty 
years,  the  carpenter's  shop  where  he  had  silently  worked, 
and  the  tomb  of  Joseph  who  had  guarded  his  childhood. 
He  would  climb  once  more  the  high  hill,  and  gaze  on  the 
landscape  so  full  of  natural  beauty  and  historical  glory. 
Here  the  farewell  lingered.  Did  he  not  pass  through 
Cana,  and  greet  the  young  couple  whose  marriage  he 
had  graced  and  exalted  as  water  to  wine?  Then  he 
came  to  Capernaum,  where,  after  his  four  months'  ab- 
sence, his  mother  embraced  him. 

While  the  caravan  with  which  he  would  go  to  the 
Passover  was  preparing,  some  Pharisees,  who  knew  of 
the  defection  of  Galilee  and  the  menace  of  Jerusalem, 


THE  ROYAL  PROGRESS  291 

asked  him  with  a  sneer,  When  cometh  the  kingdom  ? 
He  answered  mildly,  The  kingdom  of  God,  a  kingdom 
not  to  be  seen  and  pointed  out,  is  already  in  the  midst 
of  you. 103 

This  subjective  view  of  the  kingdom  was  discouraging 
to  his  disciples,  who  were  still  hoping  for  an  objective 
kingdom  expelling  the  Romans  and  restoring  the  sceptre 
to  Israel.  To  them  he  narrates  the  parable  of  The  Im- 
portunate Widow,  teaching  that  they  ought  always  to 
pray,  and  not  to  faint.  Yet  a  tone  of  human  despond- 
ency seems  to  sigh  through  his  own  closing  words, 
Howbeit  when  the  Son  of  man  cometh,  shall  he  find  faith 
on  the  earth  ? 1M 

Relatively  to  the  spirit  of  prayer  thus  illustrated,  he 
spake  also  the  parable  of  The  Pharisee  and  the  Publican. 
The  presence  of  self-righteous  and  scornful  Pharisees,  and 
of  the  humbled  disciples,  among  whom  was  Matthew  the 
publican,  all  about  to  go  up  to  the  Temple  to  pray,  made 
the  lesson  very  apposite,  incisive  and  inspiring. 

The  festive  caravan  moved  from  Capernaum  southward 
in  the  last  week  of  March.  It  comprised  Jesus  and  the 
twelve  with  the  three  mothers,  Mary  Magdalene  who 
joined  it  at  Magdala,  and  other  followers,  men  and 
women.  Perhaps  Susanna,  the  lily,  was  one  ;  and  may 
be  Joanna,  the  wife  of  Chuza,  Herod's  steward,  joined  it 
at  Tiberias,  where  Herod  himself  was  making  ready  to 
go.  The  men  were  afoot.  The  women,  at  least  the 
elder  ones,  may  have  ridden  when  weary,  the  sumpter 
mules.  This  reminds  us  that  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus 
was  growing  old.  Her  years  could  hardly  have  been 
less  than  fifty,  and  gray  hairs  were  mingling  with  her 
tresses. 105 


292  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

The  whole  route  is  alive  with  caravans  of  pilgrims 
bound  for  the  Passover.  Some  have  already  gone  for- 
ward, others  are  coming  on  behind.  They  pass  and 
repass  one  another,  and  in  hours  of  rest  intermingle 
socially.  The  one  we  follow  crosses  the  Jordan  below 
the  lake,  then  turns  again  southward  to  pursue  the  usual 
route  of  pilgrimage.  Farewell,  thou  proud  Capernaum  ! 
Farewell,  thou  favored  Galilee !  Farewell  to  thee  sweet 
Gospel  Lake  !     Farewell,  farewell. 

To  appreciate  the  connection  and  bearing  of  the  sub- 
sequent events,  it  is  needful  to  observe  that  a  key-note 
of  royalty  sounds  through  them  all.  For  the  followers 
of  Jesus  at  this  time  cherished  the  growing  conviction 
that  he  was  now  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem  to  assert  his 
claim  to  the  throne  of  David,  and  to  enforce  it  by  his 
miraculous  power.  All  looked  upon  him  as  a  Prince, 
and  upon  his  journey  as  a  royal  progress.  And  so  it 
was ;  only  that,  rejected  as  temporal  king,  he  shall  be- 
come king  eternal.  Indeed  he  shall  receive  a  purple 
robe,  a  sceptre  and  a  crown,  and  be  lifted  up  upon  a 
throne  whence  he  shall  sway  all  peoples  throughout  all 
generations.  Therefore  Jesus  did  not  deny  the  hopes  of 
his  followers,  nor  repress  their  enthusiasm;  but,  while 
accepting  their  loyal  homage,  he  sought,  yet  in  vain,  to 
correct  by  inversion  their  chiliastic  view. 

On  the  way,  during  an  hour  of  rest,  certain  Pharisees 
tempt  him  with  a  question.  These  pestilent  fellows 
seem  to  pervade  every  region,  and  to  poison  every  hour. 
They  are  as  prevalent  as  sin,  and  are  continually  break- 
ing out  like  an  incurable  sore.  They  ask,  Is  it  lawful  for 
a  man  to  put  away  his  wife  for  every  cause  ?  This  was 
a  very  artful  and  entangling  snare.     It  was  a  call  for  a 


THE  ROYAL  PROGRESS  293 

decision  between  the  rival  schools  that  subdivided  the 
sect  of  Pharisees,  the  schools  of  Shammai  the  strict,  and 
Hillel  the  liberal.  The  latter,  by  far  the  most  popular, 
advocated  divorce  for  trivial  causes,  and  great  laxness 
prevailed.  Had  Jesus  decided  for  the  former,  as  was  ex- 
pected from  the  austerity  of  his  teachings,  he  would  put 
himself  in  opposition  to  the  approved  customs  of  his 
day,  and  thus  incur  odium.  And,  the  matter  being 
similar,  this  might  bring  upon  the  prophet  of  Galilee  the 
fate  of  the  prophet  of  the  Wilderness.106 

But  Jesus  broke  their  toils.  He  decided  for  neither 
school.  Both  had  mistaken  the  intent  of  the  Mosaic 
precept.  Nor  had  Herod  the  fox  any  terrors  for  him. 
With  a  majestic  assumption  of  royal  legislative  authority, 
he  proceeded  to  rectify  the  indulgent  precept  of  Moses, 
and  propounded  the  Christian  law  of  marriage,  which 
ennobles  woman,  and  purifies  the  social  world. 

This  vast  stride  in  advance  of  the  age  perplexed  the 
disciples ;  and  when  the  Master  entered  into  a  house,  the 
only  means  of  privacy  on  this  thronging  journey,  they 
asked  him  again  of  the  matter.  While  he  was  explain- 
ing, some  mothers  brought  to  the  door  their  little  chil- 
dren, that  he  should  lay  his  hands  on  them  and  bless 
them.  Now  the  disciples  thought  it  unseemly  that  a 
prince,  expounding  certain  fundamental  laws  of  his 
kingdom  to  his  future  ministers,  should  be  thus  inter- 
rupted. What  concern  have  women  and  children  with 
such  high  matters  ?  Elated  perhaps  by  his  confidential 
tone,  they  imagined  that  surely  little  children  could  not 
interest  or  engage  his  thought.  These  must  first  be- 
come men  of  pith  and  mark,  like  to  us.  So  they 
forbade  the  little  children  to  come  in,  and  rebuked  the 
mothers.107 


294  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

But  when  Jesus  saw  it,  he  was  moved  with  indigna- 
tion, and  said : 

"  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid 
them  not;  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  the 
kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child,  he  shall  in  no  wise 
enter  therein." 

And  he  took  them  in  his  arms,  and  blessed  them. 

This  was  severe  on  the  disciples,  completely  inverting 
their  notion  ;  rather  than  the  children  like  to  them,  they 
must  become  like  to  the  children.  The  deep  impression 
made  by  the  incident  on  the  disciples  appears  in  that  it 
is  the  only  one  related  by  all  the  synoptists  since  the 
similar  one  at  Capernaum  nearly  five  months  before  this, 
which  also  they  all  relate.  The  impression  on  the  world 
is  out  of  measure.  It  has  been  a  common  theme  for 
painters  and  poets  ever  since,  and  is  one  of  the  first  and 
last-forgotten  lessons  of  childhood.  Classical  literature 
knows  nothing  of  children ;  Christian  literature  is  full  of 
children.  In  one  short  hour  on  the  way  to  his  end,  Jesus 
made,  for  all  time,  wifehood  holy,  motherhood  holy, 
childhood  holy. 

When  Jesus  left  the  house  to  resume  his  journey,  one 
who  had  been  waiting  without  came  running,  and 
kneeled  at  his  feet,  saying  : 

"  Good  Master,  what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal 
life?" 

He  was  a  young  man,  very  rich  already  by  inheritance 
of  goods,  but  wanted  to  inherit  also  eternal  life.  Al- 
though himself  a  ruler,  the  governor  of  that  district  by 
Herod's  appointment,  he  kneeled  in  homage  recognizing 
the  Prince  of   Life.     His   character  is  clearly  marked. 


THE  ROYAL  PROGRESS  295 

He  is  emotional,  enthusiastic,  demonstrative,  fluent,  and 
withal  rather  self-complacent  though  feeling  a  lack.  He 
seeks,  not  grace,  unmerited  favor,  but  the  reward  of 
merit.108 

Jesus  simply  referred  him  to  the  laws  of  the  second 
table,  and  to  their  positive  summary,  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself.  Disappointed  and  slightly  chagrined 
by  this  commonplace  answer,  the  querist  rejoined : 

"  All  these  have  I  kept  from  my  youth  up ;  what  lack 
I  yet?" 

This  implies  that  the  law,  and  the  answer  of  Jesus 
were  insufficient.  He  was  still  young,  though  hinting  a 
claim  to  maturity,  and  wanted  to  do  something  heroic. 
Jesus  concedes  the  lack  in  him,  and  gives  him  something 
heroic  to  do. 

"  If  thou  wouldst  be  perfect,  go,  sell  all  that  thou  hast, 
and  distribute  to  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure 
in  heaven  ;  and  come,  follow  me." 

His  countenance  fell,  for  this  mode  and  extent  of  love 
to  one's  neighbor,  the  complete  self-sacrifice  which  is  the 
essence  of  heroism,  was  beyond  him.  So  he  arose  from 
his  knees,  and  went  away  sorrowful. 

Dante  calls  this,  The  great  refusal,  through  cowardice 
made.  He  is  too  harsh.  Jesus,  looking  upon  that 
ingenuous,  upturned  countenance,  loved  him.  Let  us 
believe  that  this  love  followed  him ;  that  he  repented, 
obeyed,  returned,  and  was  one  of  the  last  who  shall  be 
first. 

When  he  had  gone  away,  Jesus,  addressing  his  dis- 
ciples as  children,  having  but  just  now  taught  them  that 
of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  said  to  them : 

"  Children,  how  hard  is  it  for  them  that  trust  in  riches 
to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  !  " 


296  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

This  he  emphasized,  quoted  an  Arabic  gnome  express- 
ing physical  impossibility,  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go 
through  a  needle's  eye.  The  disciples  were  astonished, 
and  exclaimed,  Who  then  can  be  saved !  But  he  said, 
The  things  that  are  impossible  with  men  are  possible 
with  God.  Now  Peter,  ready  of  speech,  primus  inter 
pares,  steps  forward,  saying : 

"  Lo,  we  have  left  all,  and  followed  thee ;  what  then 
shall  we  have  ?  "  109 

His  ear  had  caught  the  conditional  promise,  to  the 
young  ruler,  of  treasure.     Jesus  replied  : 

"  Ye  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel ;  and  shall  inherit  eternal  life." 

This  promise  of  twelve  principalities,  this  promise  by 
the  King  of  kings  that  they  should  be  the  twelve 
Caesars  of  the  fifth  monarchy,  in  his  Ecclesian  Empire, 
accorded  pleasingly  with  the  glowing,  chiliastic  hopes  of 
the  simple  disciples,  who  were  thereby  unduly  elated. 
So  Jesus  added  a  gentle  check,  saying,  with  a  significant 
glance  perhaps  at  the  forward  Peter,  But  many  first  shall 
be  last,  and  the  last  first.  This  he  illustrated  by  the 
parable  of  The  Laborers  in  the  Vineyard.  We  hear  no 
more  from  Peter  for  some  time. 

As  the  company  approached  the  lower  ford  of  the 
Jordan,  Jesus  walked  in  advance,  alone.  There  was 
much  to  depress  him.  He  knew  the  horrors  of  the  next 
week.  He  saw  the  worldly,  fallacious  hopes  of  his  fol- 
lowers. Hence  a  new  anxiety  oppressed  him.  Should 
he  lead  the  twelve,  unwitting  and  self-deceived,  into  dan- 
ger ?  No,  they  must  be  told,  and  left  to  choose.  With 
these  thoughts,  as  he  walked  alone,  his  mien  was  sad, 
dejected,  troubled.     Though  his  face  was  set  like  flint  to 


THE  ROYAL  PROGRESS  297 


go  to  Jerusalem,  yet  it  was  haggard ;  though  his  steps 
did  not  falter,  yet  were  they  heavy.110 

The  disciples  observing  him  were  amazed.  A  strange 
aspect,  truly,  for  a  prince  about  to  ascend  his  throne  !  It 
filled  them  with  fear. 

Before  reaching  the  ford,  the  place  of  his  former  bap- 
tism, Jesus  called  the  twelve  apart,  and  told  them,  in  the 
simplest,  plainest,  most  literal  terms,  exactly  what  should 
in  a  few  days  befall  him  at  Jerusalem ;  that  he  should  be 
betrayed  unto  the  chief  priests  and  scribes,  who  would 
condemn  him  to  death,  and  deliver  him  unto  the  Roman 
gentiles  to  mock,  and  to  scourge,  and  to  crucify ;  and  the 
third  day  he  should  rise  again.  But,  alas  poor  human 
nature !  They  would  not,  or  could  not,  or  at  least  did 
not  understand.  Blinded  by  their  prepossessions,  by  the 
thought  of  thrones,  they  construed  these  words  figura- 
tively. 

For  soon  after  this,  Salome  his  aunt  came  to  him,  lead- 
ing on  either  hand  her  two  sons,  the  apostles  James  and 
John,  the  Boanerges ;  and  the  three  bowed  down  before 
him,  doing  royal  homage  as  petitioners.  Accepting  the 
homage,  he  asked : 

"  What  would  ye  that  I  should  do  for  you ?"m 

She,  presuming  upon  his  kinship,  replied : 

"  Grant  that  these  my  two  sons  may  sit,  one  on  thy 
right  hand,  and  one  on  thy  left  hand,  in  thy  kingdom." 

Jesus  was  shocked.  He  had  a  prevision  of  Calvary 
and  the  two  robbers  on  the  right  and  left  of  his  crucial 
throne.     He  exclaimed : 

«  Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask.  Are  ye  able  to  drink  the 
cup  that  I  am  about  to  drink,  or  to  be  baptized  with  that 
other  baptism  that  I  am  about  to  receive?  " 

Boldly  the  Boanerges  replied  : 


298  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

"  We  are  able." 

Jesus,  pitying  their  blindness,  said  sorrowfully : 

"  Indeed  ye  shall  drink  my  cup,  and  receive  that  bap- 
tism ;  but  to  sit  on  my  right  and  left  is  not  mine  to  give, 
but  is  for  whom  it  hath  been  prepared." 

When  the  ten  heard  of  this,  they  were  indignant. 
Once  before  they  had  disputed  among  themselves,  Who 
shall  be  greatest  ?  Now  Jesus  called  them  together,  re- 
peated the  former  rebuke,  and  sought  again  to  invert 
their  notion  of  the  kingdom.  They  were  not  to  be  like 
Roman  princes  serving  a  Caesar;  for  even  the  Son  of 
man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister. 

The  festal  pilgrims  recrossed  the  Jordan  at  the  lower 
ford  into  Judea.  Three  years  before  this,  Jesus  came 
hither  for  baptism ;  now  he  was  on  his  way  to  another 
baptism.  The  heroic  return  of  Regulus  to  Carthage  is 
dimmed  by  this  return  to  Jerusalem.  The  name  of 
Regulus  has  been  honored  justly  by  being  given  to  the 
brightest  star  in  the  constellation  Leo  ;  but  that  star  can- 
not shine  when  the  sun  is  shining. 

Six  miles  beyond  the  ford,  in  the  blooming  plain,  lay 
Jericho,  the  city  of  palms,  the  city  of  roses,  the  fragrant 
city.  The  tropical  fertility  of  the  region,  and  the  posi- 
tion on  a  chief  highway,  rendered  it  prosperous.  It  was 
rich,  and  yielded  large  revenues.  Herod  the  Great  had 
enlarged,  adorned  and  adopted  it  as  a  favorite  royal  re- 
sort. Archelaus,  his  son  and  successor  in  Judea,  added 
many  improvements,  and  built  a  palace  for  himself. 
Now  the  descendant  of  Rahab  was  approaching  the 
walls  which,  early  in  history,  he,  as  Captain  of  the  Lord's 
Host,  had  smitten  to  dust  with  the  sound  of  trumpets. 

Other    pilgrim    caravans,   concentrating   at   the   ford, 


THE  ROYAL  PROGRESS  299 

swelled  his  attendants  to  a  multitude.  The  city  got 
news  of  his  coming,  and  many  came  out  to  meet  him. 
Among  these  was  Zacchaeus,  the  chief  collector  of  the 
revenue  from  that  wealthy  district.  He  wanted  to  see 
the  famous  Nazarene,  but  could  not  come  near  because 
of  the  press ;  and  being  little  of  stature,  and  there  being 
no  mound  in  that  flat  alluvial  plain  from  which  he  could 
overlook  the  crowd,  he  bethought  himself,  turned  back, 
ran  on  before,  and  climbed  up  into  a  sycamore  tree  by 
the  wayside.  When  the  van  was  passing  his  post,  the 
people  jeered  and  taunted  him  with  many  rough  jests ; 
for,  being  the  chief  publican,  he  was  well  known,  and 
being  a  Jew  enriched  by  tax-gathering  for  Romans,  he 
was  despised.  But  when  Jesus  came  to  the  place,  he 
looked  up,  and  said  : 

"  Zacchaeus,  make  haste,  and  come  down  ;  for  to-day  I 
must  abide  at  thy  house."  m 

Great  was  the  surprise  of  Zacchaeus,  who  made  haste, 
and  received  him  joyfully  in  his  house.  Great  was  the 
chagrin  of  the  scoffers,  that  he  went  in  to  lodge  with  a 
sinner.  Great  was  the  scandal  of  his  followers,  that  a 
prince  should  consort  with  a  publican. 

During  the  evening's  entertainment,  Zacchaeus  stood 
forth  in  the  assembly  of  guests,  and  said  : 

"  Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I  give  to  the 
poor ;  and  if  I  have  wrongfully  exacted  aught  of  any 
man,  I  restore  fourfold." 

This  day  of  equal  division  and  fourfold  restitution,  far 
beyond  Mosaic  precept,  was  his  new-birth  day ;  for 
Jesus  was  pleased,  and  said : 

"  To-day  is  salvation  come  to  this  house." 

What  the  rich  ruler  declined,  the  rich  publican  de- 
signed.    The  camel  had  passed  through  the  needle's  eye. 


300  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

And  now  as  the  evening  wore  on,  the  talk  was  of  the 
kingdom  ;  for,  as  he  was  nigh  to  Jerusalem,  the  kingdom 
was  expected  immediately  to  appear.  Therefore  he 
spake  the  parable  of  The  Pounds,  which  recounts  pretty 
closely,  here  in  Jericho  his  favorite  seat,  the  story  of 
Archelaus  upon  his  accession,  and  is  the  only  parable 
having  an  historical  basis. 

When  Jesus  was  entering  Jericho,  a  blind  beggar, 
Bartimaeus,  cried  out  to  him  for  mercy.  But  Jesus,  to 
develop  his  faith,  did  not  then  heed  him.  Next  morn- 
ing, as  he  was  leaving  the  city  accompanied  by  a  great 
multitude,  Bartimaeus,  who  together  with  a  companion  in 
like  case,  was  sitting  in  wait  by  the  wayside,  on  being 
told  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by,  shouted  out : 
"  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy."  I13 
This  Messianic  title,  heretofore  rarely  applied,  recog- 
nized his  royal  claim.  But  the  princely  progress  should 
not  be  assailed  by  such  rude  clamor,  and  so  the  crowd  of 
embryo  courtiers  roughly  told  the  beggars  to  hold  their 
peace.  But  they  cried  out  so  much  the  more.  Then 
Jesus  stood  still,  and  commanded  them  to  be  brought. 
The  attendants,  very  courtier  like,  instantly  changed  their 
tone,  and  said  to  Bartimaeus,  Be  of  good  comfort ;  rise, 
he  calleth  thee.  And  he,  casting  off  his  outer  garment, 
sprang  up,  and  came.  Then  Jesus,  moved  with  com- 
passion, touched  the  eyes  which  immediately  received 
sight.  All  glorify  God.  The  train  moves  forward. 
Zacchaeus  and  Bartimaeus  follow.  The  rich  and  poor 
meet  together ;  the  Lord  is  the  maker  of  them  all. 

From  Jericho  to  Jerusalem  is  only  about  twenty  miles, 
but  the  way  is  very  rugged  and  very  steep.     Hence  it 


THE  ROYAL  PROGRESS  301 

was  near  sunset  when  the  caravans  reached  Bethphage,  a 
hamlet  on  the  east  slope  of  Olivet,  nearly  two  miles  short 
of  Jerusalem.  This  was  Friday  ;  next  day  was  the  Sab- 
bath, beginning  at  sunset.  They  could  travel  no  farther. 
So  around  about  Bethphage  the  tents  were  pitched  and 
the  camp  set  until  the  Sabbath  should  be  passed. 

Jesus  with  a  few  of  his  company,  men  and  women, 
turned  aside  to  Bethany.  There  he  rested  in  the  home 
of  his  friends.  History  does  not  intrude  into  the  sacred 
silence  of  that  Sabbath,  the  foreshadow  of  the  next. Ul 

On  Sunday  morning,  April  2d,  the  royal  progress  was 
resumed.  To  regard  this  day  as  an  epoch  wherewith 
begins  a  new  series  of  events  entitled  The  Passion,  is  an 
ancient  and  persistent  error.  The  week  thus  beginning 
is  called  Passion  Week  since  it  includes  the  passion,  but 
the  passion  itself  did  not  begin  until  Wednesday  at  sun- 
set, and  occupied  only  three  and  a  half  days.  The  events 
of  Palm  Sunday  are  in  strict  logical  connection  with 
those  of  the  previous  week.  They  are  the  continuation 
and  culmination  of  the  royal  progress. 

Jesus  left  Bethany  afoot,  attended  perhaps  by  Peter, 
James  and  John,  the  favored  trio,  also  by  his  mother  and 
her  two  sisters,  and  by  Martha,  Mary  and  Lazarus.  On 
coming  near  to  Bethphage,  and  seeing  the  whole  vicinity 
alive  with  thousands  of  Galilean  and  Perasan  pilgrims 
waiting  to  conduct  him  to  the  city,  Jesus,  to  avoid  being 
thronged,  sent  forward  two  of  the  disciples  to  the  village 
to  bring  him  a  certain  unbroken  colt  of  an  ass  on  which 
to  ride.  Anciently  and  even  to-day,  on  state  occasions 
during  peace,  oriental  princes  ride  the  ass ;  the  horse 
being  symbolic  of  military,  the  ass  of  civil  dominion 
(Zechariah  9 :  9,  10).     The  disciples  found  the  colt  tied, 


/ 


302  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

as  he  had  said,  in  the  open  street  at  the  door  of  a  house, 
and  doubtless  to  the  choice  vine  that  shaded  it  (Genesis 
49:  10,  11).  With  the  owner's  hearty  consent,  they 
loosed  the  colt,  and  led  it  away  for  the  Nazarene  to  use. 
Returning,  they  laid  their  cloaks  on  the  colt,  and  Jesus 
sat  thereon. 

The  party  then  advanced  into  the  midst  of  the  glad 
multitude,  and  the  progress  is  resumed.  Enthusiasm 
rises.  Shoutings  begin.  The  most  part  spread  their 
garments  in  the  way,  others  strew  olive  branches,  sym- 
bolic of  peace,  taken  from  the  roadside  orchards,  in  the 
way  over  which  the  Prince  of  Peace,  accepting  this  royal 
homage,  rides  forward  leading  the  multitude.  The  pro- 
cession shouting  hosannas  ascends  the  eastern  slope  of 
Olivet  to  its  southern  shoulder. m 

Meantime  Jerusalem  was  astir.  Already  it  was 
crowded  with  pilgrims  to  the  paschal  feast.  Aware  of 
the  edict  of  the  Sanhedrin,  issued  a  month  before,  look- 
ing to  the  arrest  of  the  Nazarene,  they  said  to  one  an- 
other, What  think  ye ;  will  he  come  to  the  feast  ?  They 
had  heard,  too,  from  eyewitnesses,  of  the  resurrection  of 
Lazarus.  Hence  a  ferment  of  expectation.  When, 
therefore,  this  Sunday  morning,  they  learned  that  the 
Nazarene  was  coming  to  the  city,  the  common  people, 
both  pilgrims  and  residents  chose  to  honor  the  miracle 
rather  than  the  edict,  and  poured  forth  in  festal  array  to 
meet  him.  The  Sanhedrists,  bitterly  chagrined,  said  to 
one  another,  Behold  how  ye  prevail  nothing;  lo,  the 
world  is  gone  after  him.     Again  unconscious  prophecy. 

The  multitude  from  the  city  ascend  Olivet.  They 
gather  from  willing  palm  trees  the  branches  symbolic  of 
jubilee.  They  meet  the  Nazarene  riding  before  his  joy- 
ous followers.     Responding  to  their  Messianic  acclaim, 


THE  ROYAL  PROGRESS  303 

and  waving  aloft  the  palm  branches,  the  city  people  re- 
turn as  the  van  of  the  august  procession ;  so  that  they 
that  went  before,  and  they  that  followed  after  cried  to 
one  another  continually : 

"  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David ;  Blessed  the  King 
that  cometh  in  the  name  of  Jehovah ;  Hosanna  in  the 
highest ! " 

When  the  procession  passed  over  the  shoulder  of 
Olivet  and  thus  came  in  sight  and  hearing  of  the  Temple 
and  city,  some  of  the  all-pervading,  inimical  Pharisees, 
who  were  sneaking  amid  the  throng,  became  scandalized. 
They  dared  not,  however,  themselves  check  the  people 
inflamed  with  loyal  enthusiasm ;  but  observing  the  meek, 
gentle  and  calm  bearing  of  the  Nazarene,  they  ventured 
to  approach  him,  and  say,  Master,  rebuke  thy  disciples. 
He  answered : 

"  I  tell  you  that,  if  these  should  hold  their  peace,  the 
stones  would  immediately  cry  out." 

Yea,  the  stone  walls  of  the  Temple  itself  would  shout 
echoes.  To-day  ten  thousand  thousand  Christian  temples 
proclaim  him,  in  accord  with  the  legend  over  the  great 
stone  gate  at  Salzburg,  Te  saxa  loquuntur. 

The  road,  as  it  turns  to  the  right  around,  yet  below  the 
summit  of  Olivet,  is  still  more  than  a  hundred  feet  above 
the  city.  The  view  from  this  point  was  grand,  especially 
in  the  morning  ;  for  then  the  beholder  was  confronted  by 
the  illumined  face  of  all  the  buildings,  then  his  eye  fell  upon 
the  holy  mount  crowned  by  the  vast  white  marble  Tem- 
ple with  gilded  roofs  blazing  in  the  sunlight,  this  crown 
of  snow  and  gold  brought  into  brilliant  relief  by  the 
mantle  of  towers  and  palaces  spreading  over  mount  Zion 
beyond.  It  made  those,  says  Josephus,  who  forced  them- 
selves to  look  upon  it  at  the  rising  of  the  sun,  to  turn 


304  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

their  eyes  away,  as  they  would  have  done  at  the  sun's 
own  rays. 

And  now  the  royal  procession  has  brought  the  Prince 
to  this  view  of  his  capital  and  his  palace.  There  is  a 
pause.  He  gazes  on  the  glorious  scene,  on  the  holy  city 
that  he  loved.  History  brings  to  him  her  thousand 
thronging  memories.  Then  the  Future  waves  her  wand, 
and  there  rises  a  vision  of  the  gathering  eagles,  the 
marching  legions,  the  fierce  assault,  the  rivers  of  blood, 
the  blazing  Temple,  the  levelled  walls,  the  ploughshare 
passing  over  Zion,  the  manacled  remnant  led  to  slavery. 
Bursting  into  tears  of  sorrow,  he  exclaims  : 

"  O  that  thou  hadst  known  in  this  day,  even  thou,  the 
things  which  belong  unto  peace  !  " 

Then  he  recites  his  vision  of  the  destruction,  giving 
certain  specific  details  which,  forty  years  afterwards,  were 
exactly  realized.  The  people  are  bewildered  by  this  pic- 
ture of  desolation  replacing  theirs  of  dominion,  by  the 
cry  of  woe  neutralizing  the  jubilee.  Tears.  This  second 
time,  Jesus  wept.  First,  were  tears  of  sympathy ;  now, 
of  sorrow  ;  soon,  in  Gethsemane  of  the  valley  before  him, 
shall  be  tears  of  suffering.  Says  Augustine,  Lachrymce 
Domini ',  gaudia  mundi. 

The  procession  resumes  its  way  along  the  descent  of 
Olivet  towards  the  city.  Enthusiasm  again  rises  ;  the  an- 
tiphonal  acclaim  is  renewed  between  the  palm  bearers 
who  lead  and  the  olive  bearers  who  follow.  Gethsemane 
is  passed  ;  Kidron,  the  Rubicon,  is  crossed  ;  and  the  steep 
ascent  to  the  eastern  gateway  is  begun.  As  the  palm 
bearers  approach  it,  we  expect  the  cry  : 

"  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates, 
And  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  everlasting  doors, 
And  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in." 


THE  ROYAL  PROGRESS  305 

But  no ;  they  begin  to  feel  the  influence  of  the  hostile 
city,  and  the  hosannas  are  dying.  They  enter  the  streets. 
Women  are  thronging  the  balconies  and  peering  from 
lattices.  Scowling  men  are  standing  aside  in  the  bazaars 
to  let  them  pass.  For  the  whole  city  is  moved.  And 
when  some  scornfully  ask,  Who  is  this  ye  so  honor  ?  did 
they  answer,  The  Son  of  David,  Messiah,  the  King  of 
Israel,  who  cometh  in  the  name  of  Jehovah  ?  Alas,  no  ; 
the  glow  of  holy  enthusiasm  is  chilled,  the  hosannas  are 
dead.  They  answer  tamely,  This  is  the  prophet,  Jesus, 
from  Nazareth  of  Galilee.  It  is  said  that  two  sounds  may 
so  combine  as  to  produce  silence.  In  such  a  silence,  the 
voice  of  praise  meeting  the  voice  of  scorn,  Jesus  rides 
through  the  street  into  the  Tyropceon  way,  and  dismount- 
ing at  the  western  stairs,  ascends  them  and  enters  the 
Temple. 

Attended  by  the  twelve,  the  Prince  made  an  inspection 
of  his  palace.  He  saw  the  renewed  temple  traffic,  but 
withheld  his  hand,  for  this  was  a  day  of  peace.  As  he 
passed  through  the  courts,  thronged  with  thousands,  he 
saw  the  frowns  of  Priests  and  Levites,  of  Pharisees  and 
Sadducees,  of  Rabbis  and  Doctors  of  the  Law ;  but  he 
passed  without  arrest,  for  the  Sanhedrists  feared  the  mul- 
titudes that  had  escorted  him,  though  indeed  these  were 
now  silent,  and  had  cast  down  their  palm  and  olive 
branches.  The  inspection  being  finished,  when  he  had 
looked  round  about  upon  all  things,  the  remainder  of  the 
day  was  passed  in  silent  waiting.  He  thus  publicly  and 
emphatically  and  peacefully  offered  himself  to  his  as- 
sembled nation.  No  word  from  him  was  needed.  His 
claim  had  been  unmistakably  avowed,  and  was  under- 
stood by  all.  But  the  favoring  multitude  and  the  inim- 
ical hierarchy  neutralized  each  other.     His  silence  was 


306  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

met  by  silence.  An  assembled  nation  kept  silence.  That 
time  of  silence  was  the  hinge  of  the  world's  history.  He 
came  unto  his  own,  and  his  own  received  him  not.  He 
waited,  he  opened  not  his  mouth.  They  saw  no  beauty 
in  him  that  they  should  desire  him.  They  hid,  as  it  were, 
their  faces  from  him.  And  thus  the  silent  Sunday  after- 
noon was  passing  away ;  the  sun  was  hastening  to  its  set- 
ting ;  and  shall  there  be  no  voice? 

Late  in  the  day  certain  Greeks  asked  to  see  him.  It 
was  a  sign  of  the  ingathering  of  the  Gentiles.  Possibly 
these  Greeks  were  worshippers  of  the  Unknown  God, 
seeking  him,  if  haply  they  might  feel  after  him,  and  find 
him.  And  he  was  not  far  from  them.  The  East  had 
bowed  at  his  cradle  ;  the  West  now  came  to  his  cross. 
The  petition  was  made  known  to  Jesus.  He  was  deeply 
moved,  and  said  : 

"  The  hour  is  come,  that  the  Son  of  man  should  be 
glorified.  Now  is  my  soul  troubled.  Father,  glorify  thy 
name." 

Then  came  there  a  voice  out  of  heaven  saying : 
"  I  have  both  glorified,  and  will  glorify  it  again."  u6 
In  this  mysterious  and  sublime  event  the  day  culmi- 
nates. Scorned  by  the  Jew,  sought  by  the  Gentile,  ap- 
proved by  the  Father.  His  voice  had  attested  him  at  the 
Baptism  and  at  the  Transfiguration.  Now  it  breaks  the 
brooding  silence  of  the  Temple,  and  from  its  blue  dome 
proclaims,  Yet  have  I  set  my  King  upon  my  holy  hill  of 
Zion. 

It  being  now  eventide,  Jesus,  to  be  apart,  went  out  unto 
Bethany  with  the  twelve,  and  lodged  there.117 


XXIV 

THE  REJECTION 

IN  the  early  parts  of  this  narrative,  the  year  in 
which  events  occur  is  more  or  less  doubtful.  In 
later  parts,  the  month  is  designated  with  reasonable 
confidence.  In  the  present  part,  the  weeks  stated  are 
beyond  question.  In  the  current  week,  the  days  and 
even  their  two  parts,  and  in  the  last  day,  the  hours  are 
fixed  with  historic  certainty. 

On  Monday,  April  3d,  a.  d.  30,  Jesus  with  the  twelve 
left  Bethany  to  return  to  the  city.  It  seems  that  in  his 
eager  haste  he  had  not  broken  his  fast,  and  was  hun- 
gered. Seeing  by  the  wayside  a  fig  tree  having  leaves, 
he  came  to  it,  and  finding  thereon  nothing  but  leaves, 
said  unto  it : 

"  No  man  eat  fruit  from  thee  henceforward  forever."  us 
The  tree  seemed  to  shrink,  and  began  to  fade.     As 
man  he  hungers ;  as  God  he  withers  the  barren  tree. 

He  entered  the  city,  and  the  Temple.  His  right  to 
rule  he  will  emphasize  by  one  full  day  of  actual  and 
symbolic  rule.  He  will  take  violent  possession  of  his 
palace,  and  enforce  subjection. 119 

In  the  beginning  of  his  public  ministry,  at  his  first 
Passover,  he  had  expelled  the  traders  from  the  Temple. 
At  the  second  Passover  there  is  no  sign  of  their  pres- 
ence.    The  third  Passover  he  did  not  attend.     At  the 

3°  7 


3o8  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

subsequent  intermediate  feasts,  no  sign.  But  at  this 
fourth  Passover,  the  temple  traffic  was  once  more  in  full 
progress.  It  is  easy  to  understand  that,  hostility  to  him 
having  become  inveterate,  defiant,  the  Sanhedrists  again 
connived  at  the  abuse  of  the  holy  house,  and  secretly 
rejoiced  to  insult  the  authority  of  the  Nazarene.  This 
he  endured  during  the  peaceful  visitation  of  the  previous 
day  ;  but  now  he  resents  the  offense,  again  drives  out  the 
traders,  overturns  the  tables  of  the  money-changers,  and 
more  violently  than  before,  the  seats  of  the  dove-sellers. 
On  the  first  occasion  he  exercised  a  zealot-right, 
recognized  as  belonging  to  every  reforming  prophet,  of 
whom  it  was  written,  The  zeal  of  thine  house  hath 
eaten  me  up ;  and  his  expostulation  was,  Make  not  my 
Father's  house  a  house  of  merchandise.  On  this  second 
occasion,  he  comes,  not  as  a  reforming  zealot,  but  as 
Messiah,  and  enforces  his  personal  supremacy,  with  the 
severe  reprimand,  My  house  shall  be  a  house  of  prayer, 
but  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of  robbers.  The  act  was 
doubtless  symbolic  of  the  cleansing  of  the  theocracy,  of 
the  church,  of  the  human  heart. 

The  purgation  accomplished,  Jesus  continued  in  the 
exercise  of  supreme  authority ;  for  he  would  not  suffer 
that  any  man  should  carry  a  vessel  through  the  Temple. 
And  how  did  he  occupy  the  hours  of  his  coercive  rule  ? 
He  taught  the  common  people,  who  all  hung  about  him, 
listening.  Also  he  turned  the  den  of  robbers  into  a 
house  of  mercy;  for  the  blind  and  the  lame  came  to 
him,  and  he  healed  them.  The  Temple  for  the  first  and 
last  time  witnessed  his  healing  beneficence. 

During  the  day  a  very  pretty  incident  occurred.  In 
the  multitudes  that  thronged  the  Temple  were  a  number 
of  children.     These  had  seen  the  palm  entry  of  yester- 


THE  REJECTION  309 

day,  and  in  their  childish  hearts  lingered  an  echo  of  the 
Messianic  cry.  They  picked  up  some  of  the  discarded 
and  fading  palm  branches,  formed  a  mimic  procession, 
and  went  to  and  fro,  waving  the  branches  and  voicing 
the  echo  as  they  cried,  Hosanna  to  the  son  of  David. 
That  cry  kept  the  stones  quiet.  But  the  chief  priests 
and  doctors  were  sore  displeased.  It  was  a  last  feather 
on  their  overburdened  patience.  Unable  longer  to  re- 
strain their  insolence,  they  asked  the  Lord,  Hearest  thou 
what  these  are  saying?  This  implies  a  denial  of  the 
title,  and  contempt  for  the  fearless  little  ones  repeating 
it.     Jesus  turned  sharply  on  the  haughty  querists,  and  said  : 

"  Yea,  I  hear  it.  And  did  ye  never  read,  Out  of  the 
mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings  thou  hast  perfected 
praise  ?  " 120 

To  this  apt  and  cogent  answer,  quoting  the  septuagint 
version  of  the  eighth  Psalm,  there  was  no  rejoinder. 
The  priests  and  doctors  retired  abashed,  pursued  by  the 
unchecked  hosannas  of  the  children.  While  they  con- 
sulted angrily  together  how  they  might  avoid  a  riot  and 
yet  destroy  him,  Jehovah,  sitting  in  the  heavens,  was 
laughing  in  derision  of  their  counsel. 

The  day  of  enforced  reign  was  fulfilled.  When  the 
evening  was  come,  Jesus  went  out  of  the  city,  returning 
in  the  twilight  to  Bethany. 

The  next  day,  Tuesday,  was  very  eventful.  In  the 
morning  on  their  way  to  the  city,  Peter  called  his 
Master's  attention  to  the  fig  tree,  saying,  Rabbi,  behold, 
the  fig  tree  which  thou  cursedst  is  withered  away.  Jesus 
answered : 

"  Have  faith  in  God ;  and  all  things  whatsoever  ye 
shall  ask  in  prayer,  believing,  ye  shall  receive."  121 


310  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

The  miracle  was  extraordinary,  unique,  unlike  any 
other,  inexplicable  in  itself,  but  as  a  symbol  strikingly 
significant.  He  came  to  his  people  hungered,  found 
them  arrayed  in  all  the  pomp  of  leaves,  but  fruitless. 
They  boasted  of  their  law,  of  their  temple  worship,  of 
their  prerogatives.  But  their  pompous  pretensions  were 
deceptive,  the  nation  was  rotten-hearted,  the  fructifying 
principle  was  dead,  the  show  was  vain,  fruit  there  was 
none.  So,  for  being  false  and  barren,  it  was  condemned 
to  wither  quickly  away. 

Jesus  entered  the  Temple,  and  in  the  Court  of  Priests, 
in  view  of  the  great  altar  smoking  with  its  typical 
sacrifice,  he  began  to  teach  the  people,  who  came  early 
in  great  numbers  to  hear  him.  Soon  he  was  interrupted. 
The  inimical  Sanhedrists,  fearing  mob  violence,  had 
agreed  that  their  first  step  must  be  to  discredit  him  in  the 
eyes  of  the  people.  They  remembered  that,  at  his  first 
Passover,  to  their  official  demand  for  a  sign  of  his 
authority,  he  replied  :  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three 
days  I  will  raise  it  up.  Were  he  brought  to  repeat  this, 
it  would  be  enough ;  for  it  could  be  construed  as 
blasphemy.  So,  while  Jesus  was  teaching,  a  Sanhedric 
deputation  of  elders  and  scribes,  led  by  the  high  priests 
Annas  and  Caiaphas,  came  filing  through  the  Temple 
courts,  sweeping  its  tessellated  pavements  with  their  long 
robes,  displaying  their  wide  fringes  and  broad  phylacter- 
ies, dressed  in  all  the  insignia  of  their  high  offices.  The 
crowd  respectfully  gives  way,  the  commissioners  stand 
before  the  Nazarene  and  demand  : 

"  By  what  authority  doest  thou  these  things  ?  "  m 
All  this  is  regular,  legitimate  and  imposing.     Had  he 
answered,  By  divine  authority,  the  next  question  would 


THE  REJECTION  311 

be,  What  sign  shewest  thou  ?  This,  then,  he  could  not, 
without  discredit,  decline.  The  situation  was  trying,  the 
people  expectant. 

The  keen  intellect  of  the  man,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  quick 
and  powerful,  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword,  pierced 
instantly  the  heart  of  the  situation.  He  knew  the  hypoc- 
risy of  these  officials,  the  neglect  and  the  perversion  of 
their  functions.  So,  proposing  to  test  their  credentials 
before  submitting  his  own,  he  retorted  boldly  and 
promptly : 

"  I  also  will  ask  you  a  question ;  and  first  tell  me,  The 
baptism  of  John,  was  it  from  heaven  or  from  men  ?  " 

It  was  equally  their  business  to  inquire  into  the  re- 
ligious reformation  of  John.  Indeed  they  had  done  so, 
but  had  neglected  to  promulgate  a  decision.  The  de- 
mand was  legitimate.  But  it  reversed  the  relation  of  the 
parties.  The  vigorous  attack  was  met  by  a  vigorous 
counter-attack,  and  the  presence  of  mind  that  worked  the 
sudden  revulsion  is  most  admirable.  Then  the  Sanhe- 
drists  consulted  together  in  whispers.  If  we  say,  From 
heaven,  he  will  say,  Why  then  did  ye  not  believe  his  wit- 
ness of  me  ?  If  we  say,  From  men,  the  people  will  stone 
us,  for  all  hold  John  as  a  prophet.  The  dilemma  is  com- 
plete ;  on  either  horn  their  plot  is  ruined.  So  they  pub- 
licly stultify  themselves,  saying,  We  do  not  know.  This 
profession  of  ignorance  stripped  them  at  once  of  all  of- 
ficial claim  and  dignity ;  and  that  it  was  false,  is  implied 
in  the  rejoinder  of  Jesus  : 

"  Neither  will  I  tell  you  by  what  authority  I  do  these 
things." 

He  was  still  supreme.  His  abashed  opponents  wished 
to  retire  ;  but  he  stopped  them  with,  Hear  a  parable.  He 
then  spake  the  parable  of  The  Two  Sons,  applied  it  to 


312  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

them,  and  in  severest  terms  denounced  their  guilt.  Again 
they  moved  to  retire ;  but  he  said,  I  have  not  done  with 
you  yet ;  hear  another  parable.  Then  he  spake  the  para- 
ble of  The  Wicked  Husbandmen.  Its  application  de- 
clared their  punishment,  and  so  dreadfully  that  some 
cried,  God  forbid,  others  angered  wished  to  lay  hold  on 
him.  But  they  must  stand  and  hear  yet  another  parable, 
The  Marriage  of  the  King's  Son.  It  pronounces  alle- 
gorically  the  judgment  which,  because  of  their  obduracy, 
shall  come  upon  their  nation.  This  culminating  predic- 
tion brought  them  into  instant  hazard  of  being  stoned. 
No  doubt  they  were  glad  of  permission  to  retire,  and  re- 
turned to  their  council  chamber,  humiliated,  utterly  dis- 
comfited, and  desperate. 

They  were  not  slow  in  devising  a  new  plot  against  the 
Nazarene.  Be  it  remembered  that  the  Temple  was  not 
only  a  place  of  worship,  but  also  of  education.  It  was 
the  Jewish  University.  About  twenty  years  before  this, 
a  boy  of  twelve  years  of  age  had  confounded  its  Faculty 
with  his  questions,  and  taught  the  teachers  by  his  an- 
swers. Young  Saul  of  Tarsus  had  more  recently  pur- 
sued his  studies  there,  and  returned  home.  The  learned 
Rabbis  and  Doctors  of  the  Law,  of  the  schools  of  Hillel 
and  Shammai,  were  numerous,  and  no  doubt  their  dis- 
ciples, the  Academics,  were  correspondingly  numerous, 
drawn  mostly  from  the  wealthy  and  aristocratic  families 
of  Jerusalem  and  Palestine. 

Also  be  it  remembered  that  among  the  Jews  there  was 
a  political  party,  devoted  to  the  house  of  Herod,  and 
therefore  called  Herodians.  Especially  they  supported 
Herod  Antipas  who  was  at  this  time  in  Jerusalem.  They 
were  popular  royalists,  not  in  opposition  to  their  own 


THE  REJECTION  313 

people,  yet  favoring  the  Roman  power  which  sustained 
the  Herods.  These  also  belonged  to  the  wealthy  and 
aristocratic  class ;  some  perhaps  were  courtiers.  It  is 
easy  to  understand  that  many  of  the  Herodian  youths 
were  loitering  in  the  Temple  that  Tuesday  in  the  society 
of  the  young  Academics. 

The  Pharisaic  Doctors,  acting  in  collusion  with  the 
Sanhedrists,  gathered  a  mixed  party  of  these  young  men, 
and  persuaded  them  to  pretend  a  dispute  among  them- 
selves about  the  lawfulness  of  the  Roman  tribute,  which 
dispute  they  had  agreed  to  refer  to  the  Nazarene  for  de- 
cision. It  was  hoped  that  their  youth  would  interest  and 
disarm  him,  and  he  be  tempted  to  utter  a  treasonable 
word.  The  Roman  governor  Pilate  was  at  hand,  no 
doubt  ready  to  mingle  the  blood  of  this  Galilean  also  with 
the  sacrifices.  The  young  men,  already  adepts  in  hypoc- 
risy, flattered  by  the  commission,  and  eager  for  any  ex- 
citing mischief,  entered  knowingly  and  heartily  into  the 
vile  scheme.123 

They  approached  Jesus  with  great  show  of  deference, 
with  fawning,  flattering  phrases  to  allay  suspicion  and 
ensnare  him,  complimenting  his  fearless  independence  and 
truthfulness,  and  then  asked : 

"  Is  it  lawful   to  give  tribute  unto  Caesar,  or  not  ?  " 

Should  he  answer,  It  is  not,  the  Herodians  would  cry, 
Traitor !  and  deliver  him  to  the  Roman  guard.  Should 
he  say,  It  is,  the  Academics  would  cry,  Renegade !  and 
deliver  him  to  the  Levitical  guard,  and  the  people,  in- 
flamed with  patriotism  at  their  national  feast,  would  con- 
sent.    But  Jesus  perceived  their  wickedness,  and  said: 

"  Why  tempt  ye  me,  ye  hypocrites  ?  Shew  me  the 
tribute  money  ?  " 

One  of  the  querists  drew  a  coin  from  his  girdle,  and 


314  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

exhibited  it  lying  in  his  open  palm.  It  was  a  denarius, 
of  which  specimens  are  still  extant,  stamped  with  profile 
of  the  emperor  Tiberius,  and  the  legend  77.  Ccesar.  Jesus, 
pointing  to  it,  asked  : 

"  Whose  is  this  image  and  superscription  ?  " 

They  said  unto  him,  Caesar's.  Observe,  he  obliges 
them,  standing  before  him,  to  acknowledge,  by  the  dis- 
play in  their  own  hand  of  its  current  coin,  their  subjec- 
tion de  facto  to  the  Roman  government.  Thence  his 
reply : 

"  Render  therefore  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are 
Caesar's ;  and  unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's." 

They  had  asked,  Shall  we  give  ?  He  replied,  Render, 
give  back,  repay ;  it  is  not  making  a  gift,  but  is  paying  a 
debt.  Render  to  Caesar  the  coin  bearing  his  image ; 
render  to  God  the  soul  bearing  his  image.  There  is  no 
entanglement  here.  They  could  denounce  him  neither 
as  traitor  nor  as  renegade.  So  they  marvelled  at  his 
answer,  and  held  their  peace,  and  left  him,  and  went 
their  way. 

The  answer,  so  fitly  solving  the  toil,  is  most  admirable 
for  its  broad  wisdom.  "  It  establishes  the  rights,  regu- 
lates the  duties,  and  distinguishes  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
spiritual  and  temporal  powers,  and  their  subjects.  It 
contains  the  fundamental  principle  and  guide  for  the  set- 
tlement of  the  vexed  question  of  Church  and  State  which 
has  caused  so  much  trouble  and  persecution  in  the  his- 
tory of  Christianity." 

And  now  certain  haughty  and  inimical  Sadducees  come 
forward  with  another  device  for  his  abasement. 

It  has  already  been  noted  that  this  sect  held,  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  Pharisees,  that  there  is  no  angel,  or  spirit,  or 


THE  REJECTION  315 

resurrection,  or  after  life,  and  claimed  to  prove  it  from 
the  writings  of  Moses.  They  were  rationalists,  material- 
ists, the  Epicureans  of  Judea ;  while  their  doctrinal  dis- 
putants, the  Pharisees,  were  ritualists,  spiritualists,  the 
Stoics  of  Judea.  They  had  come,  however,  to  agree 
with  the  Pharisees  on  one  point,  namely,  the  Nazarene 
must  die ;  for  he  taught  the  resurrection  with  power,  and 
the  revenant  Lazarus  was  a  present  witness  against 
them. 

There  was  a  puzzling  question  with  which  the  Sad- 
ducees  had  often  confounded  their  opponents,  and  with  it 
they  now  proposed  to  embarrass  and  discredit  the  Naza- 
rene. They  state  a  case  under  the  levirate  law  (Deuter- 
onomy 25:5-10),  of  a  woman  who  had  in  succession  seven 
husbands,  and  they  ask,  In  the  resurrection  whose  wife  of 
them  shall  she  be  ?  This  they  consider  unanswerable, 
and  so  infer  from  Moses  that  there  is  no  after  life.  But 
Jesus  said  unto  them  : 

"  Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures,  nor  the  power 
of  God."  124 

Then  he  opened  the  gates  of  heaven,  and  gave  to  them 
and  to  us  a  glimpse  of  the  mysterious  hereafter,  saying : 

"  They  that  are  accounted  worthy  to  attain  to  that 
world,  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage,  but  are 
as  angels  in  heaven." 

This  amazing  reply  baffled  his  tempters.  It  has  given 
to  art  the  beautiful  conception  and  delineation  of  sexless 
angels.     How  different  the  Moslem  paradise  ! 

Then  Jesus,  adopting  their  vein,  quoted  from  Moses 
God's  words,  I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  said,  He  is 
not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living  ;  therefore  ye  do 
greatly  err.  Evidently ;  for  the  inference  is  plain,  that 
Moses  recognized  the  reality  of  an  after  life. 


316  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

When  the  Pharisees  heard  that  he  had  put  the  Sad- 
ducees  to  silence,  they  resolved  to  make  one  more,  a 
desperate  attempt. 

Jesus  was  now  standing  before  the  Jewish  people  claim- 
ing to  be  the  Messiah,  the  Christ.  The  Jews  of  that  time 
were  expecting  in  the  Messiah  no  more  than  a  human 
temporal  king  of  great  power  and  wide  dominion.  But 
these  Pharisees  remembered  that  on  two  prior  occasions 
a  few  months  removed,  the  Nazarene  had  claimed  sonship 
of  God,  and  equality  with  the  Father,  and  on  both  occa- 
sions had  narrowly  escaped  being  stoned.  Could  he  now 
be  decoyed  to  repeat  the  claim,  the  stoning  might  at  once 
be  accomplished. 

Their  device  was  this.  There  was  a  universally  ap- 
proved answer  to  the  question,  What  is  the  great  com- 
mandment? which  answer  declares  very  strongly  the 
unity  of  God,  and  demands  exclusive  devotion  to  him 
(Deuteronomy,  6:4,  5).  Now,  if  the  Nazarene  should 
give  some  other  answer,  especially  one  claiming  to  share 
divine  honors,  it  would  shock  the  people,  break  in  upon 
their  rigid  monotheism,  and  induce  an  instant  stoning  for 
blasphemy.  m 

So  then,  to  take  the  Nazarene  off  his  guard,  they  put 
forward  as  spokesman  a  venerable  Scribe,  a  Doctor  of  the 
Law,  a  Rabbi  of  great  attainments  and  reputation,  and 
having  a  lofty  spirit  of  piety.  This  aged  man,  walking 
thoughtfully  on  the  silent,  solemn  shore  of  that  vast  ocean 
he  must  sail  so  soon,  had  taken  no  part  in  the  efforts  to 
crush  the  Galilean  teacher,  and  does  not  perceive  the  base 
use  his  compeers  would  make  of  him.  They  suggest 
that  it  would  be  well  to  have  the  opinion  of  this  famous 
teacher  on  the  question,  and  propose  that  he  ask  it. 

The  venerable  Rabbi,  followed  by  the  Pharisees,  makes 


THE  REJECTION  317 

his  way  to  Jesus.  The  question  is  asked.  Promptly  and 
respectfully  Jesus  gives  the  approved  but  undesired 
answer,  simply  because  it  is  the  true  answer.  The  in- 
geniously woven  mesh,  so  adroitly  thrown,  floats  away 
like  gossamer.  The  Rabbi,  touched  by  words  so  accord- 
ant with  his  own  conviction,  rejoins  with  deep  feeling  by 
this  beautiful  paraphrase : 

"  Of  a  truth,  Master,  thou  hast  well  said  that  he  is  one  ; 
and  there  is  none  other  but  he ;  and  to  love  him  with  all 
the  heart,  and  with  all  the  understanding,  and  with  all 
the  strength,  and  to  love  his  neighbor  as  himslf,  is  much 
more  " — waving  his  hand  towards  the  great  altar — "  much 
more  than  all  whole  burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices." 

And  when  Jesus  perceived  that  he  had  answered  dis- 
creetly, he  looked  upon  him  earnestly,  and  said : 

"  Thou  are  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God." 

Of  the  four  distinct  attempts  on  this  day  to  ensnare, 
dishonor  and  destroy  him,  this  last  was  the  most  subtle 
toil  of  the  Tempter.  It  too  was  foiled.  But  Jesus  did 
not  permit  his  adversaries  to  retire  with  the  conceit  that 
he  had  abated  his  high  claim.  Turning  to  them,  he 
pointed  out  in  a  few  cogent  words  that  David,  the  great 
king,  acknowledged  under  inspiration  that  Messiah, 
though  his  son,  yet  was  his  superior,  his  Lord.  The  in- 
ference from  this,  that  David's  son,  being  also  his  Lord, 
must  have  been  a  partaker  of  the  divine  essence,  he  left 
to  their  meditation.  And  from  that  day  forth  no  man 
durst  ask  him  any  more  questions. 

It  must  have  been  afternoon  when  this  last  assault  was 
made  upon  the  Lord.  He  was  still  in  the  innermost 
Court,  in  full  view  of  the  brazen  altar  and  the  lofty  porch 
of  the  Sanctuary.     He  was   continually  thronged  by  a 


3i 8  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

multitude  of  people  pressing  to  see  and  to  hear  him,  and 
he  occupied  the  intervals  between  the  assaults  with  teach- 
ing. But  now  it  was  manifest  that  the  breach  between 
him  and  the  temple  party,  formed  of  the  leading  repre- 
sentatives of  the  nation,  had  become  irreconcilable.  His 
proffer  of  kingship  was  scorned.  He  was  despised  and 
rejected.  A  crisis  was  near  and  inevitable.  There  is  a 
limit  to  divine  patience,  even  to  the  patience  of  Jesus. 

With  a  stern  aspect  and  in  the  audience  of  all,  he 
warned  his  disciples  against  the  practice  and  pride  of  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees.  Then  turning  to  them,  he  hurled 
upon  them  the  great  denunciation.  Like  the  seven  thun- 
ders of  the  Apocalypse,  these  seven  woes  follow  each 
other,  peal  upon  peal.  He  opened  his  first  recorded 
public  address,  near  the  beginning  of  his  ministry,  on  the 
Mount  of  Beatitudes,  with  a  sevenfold  benediction  ;  he 
closed  this  last  public  address,  near  the  end  of  his  min- 
istry, on  the  Mount  of  Desecration,  with  a  sevenfold  de- 
nunciation ;  a  reminder  of  Ebal  and  Gerizim.  How  the 
wretched  hypocrites  must  have  been  scathed  and  scarred 
by  these  lightning  flashes  of  divine  indignation  ! m 

The  final  beatitude  has  a  beautiful  counterpart  in  the 
lamentation  following  the  woes.  Heightened  by  the  con- 
trast, nothing  could  be  more  tenderly  pathetic.  The 
figure  is  the  homely  one  of  a  hen  and  chickens.  True 
pathos  always  finds  its  expression  in  what  is  homely  and 
real.  Here  the  figure  is  peculiarly  apt ;  for  Jesus  saw, 
what  the  silly  Jews  did  not  see,  the  fierce  and  rapacious 
eagle  of  Rome  hovering  over  Jerusalem.  Had  they 
gathered  at  his  call,  they  might  have  been  delivered  from 
its  talons. 

With  this  denunciation  and  lament,  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 


THE  REJECTION  319 

the  rejected  Messianic  King,  closed  his  public  ministry. 
Then,  attended  by  his  few  disciples,  he  left  the  Temple, 
never  to  return.  This  was  a  great  decisive  act,  and  a 
terminal  epoch  in  the  history  of  Israel.  The  Jews  have 
a  tradition  that  forty  years  before  the  final  destruction  of 
Jerusalem,  the  lamp  which  constantly  burned  in  the 
Sanctuary  went  out,  and  was  never  relighted.  We  un- 
derstand that  better  than  they.  Tacitus  tells  us  that  be- 
fore the  ruin  of  the  Temple  a  sound  of  the  departing 
gods  was  heard  ;  and  Josephus  adds  that  a  voice  as  of  a 
great  multitude  proclaimed,  Let  us  go  hence.  The 
legend  has  a  basis  in  truth  ;  for  when  the  nation  rejected 
his  proffer  of  kingship,  the  Shechinah  of  the  Second 
Temple  abandoned  it  forever,  saying : 

"  Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate.  For  I 
say  unto  you,  Ye  shall  not  see  me  henceforth,  till  ye 
shall  say,  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord." 


XXV 

THE  PROPHECY 

THE  final  departure  from  the  Temple  was  marked 
by  two  events,  simple  but  memorable. 
On  leaving  the  Court  of  Priests,  Jesus  passed 
through  the  great  Nicanor  Gate  into  the  adjoining  Court 
of  Women.  Here  he  sat  down  to  rest  after  the  wearying 
conflicts  and  exhausting  emotions  of  the  day.  In  this 
Court  were  ranged  thirteen  bronze,  trumpet -mouthed 
money  jars,  to  receive  contributions,  each  jar  labeled  for 
a  specific  object.  Hence  this  Court  of  Women  was 
called  also  The  Treasury.  Jesus  observed  rich  men 
coming  and  making  large  gifts  of  coins,  dropping  them 
in  ostentatiously  one  by  one,  so  that  all  might  hear  the 
ring  on  the  bottom  of  the  jar.  Among  them  came  also 
one  poor  widow,  timidly,  bashfully,  unnoticed  by  any 
save  one,  and  as  secretly  as  possible,  and  with  a  blush, 
dropped  in  two  mites.  Only  one  ear  besides  her  own 
heard  the  slight  ring.  As  she  hurried  furtively  away, 
Jesus,  pleased  and  touched  with  sympathy,  called  the  at- 
tention of  his  disciples  to  her  gift,  and  said : 

"  Verily,  this  poor  widow  cast  in  more  than  they  all ; 
for  it  was  all  the  living  she  had."  127 

So  the  poor  widow  must  fast  to-day  and  to-morrow. 
Had  she  kept  back  one  of  the  mites,  it  would  have 
bought  her  a  slice  of  bread.  Gifts  are  to  be  measured, 
says  Ambrose,  not  by  how  much  is  given,  but  by  how 
much  remains  behind. 

320 


THE  PROPHECY  321 

The  value  of  the  two  mites  was  less  than  half  a  cent. 
Nevertheless,  had  they  been  put  at  compound  interest  at 
only  one  per  cent,  per  annum,  they  would  to-day  have 
amounted  to  a  sum  greater  than  all  the  Christian  contri- 
butions of  the  past  century.  And  have  they  not  been  at 
interest  ?  Under  the  approbation  of  Jesus,  what  has  not 
been  their  multiplying  influence  for  eighteen  centuries, 
and  when  will  it  cease  to  multiply  ?  The  poor  widow, 
however,  knew  nothing  of  that — so  long  as  she  lived. 

Shortly  after  this  charming  incident,  the  little  com- 
pany, on  its  way  out,  was  passing  through  the  Court  of 
Gentiles.  The  disciples  had  witnessed  his  rejection,  they 
had  heard  the  avalanche  of  woes  falling  with  mighty  im- 
petus from  so  great  height,  and  the  wail  that  followed  it, 
and  their  hearts  were  full  of  sad  presentiment.  They 
loved  their  people,  and  felt  a  patriotic  pride  in  their 
great  Temple.  Its  stately  colonnades  and  cloisters  of 
snowy  marble,  its  Beautiful  Gate  of  Corinthian  brass,  its 
tessellated  pavements,  its  ponderous  masonry,  its  central 
shrine  of  sculptured  stone  made  glorious  within  by  carved 
cedar  overlain  by  gold  and  studded  with  gems,  these  and 
its  history,  these  and  its  fame,  these  and  its  holiness,  they 
thought  upon  with  dread  of  an  impending  doom.  One 
of  them,  perhaps  Simon  Peter,  would  plead  for  the 
Temple. 

"  Master,  behold,  what  manner  of  stones,  and  what 
manner  of  buildings  !  " 128 

"  Seest  thou  these  great  buildings  ? "  replied  Jesus. 
"  There  shall  not  be  left  here  one  stone  upon  another, 
which  shall  not  be  thrown  down." 

His  eye  was  not  dazzled  by  its  splendor.  He  knew  it 
was  a  whited  sepulchre. 


322  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  this  eventful  day,  the  little 
band  of  Galileans  ascended  the  western  slope  of  Olivet  to 
a  point  overlooking  the  city.  Dividing  there,  the  greater 
part  went  forward  beyond  the  ridge  to  the  Galilean 
camps,  while  Peter  and  Andrew  his  brother,  James  and 
John  his  brother,  lingered  behind  with  the  Master,  he 
having  stopped  and  seated  himself  on  a  rock-ledge  by  the 
wayside  to  await  the  going  down  of  the  sun.  Two  days 
before  this  he  had  paused  near  the  same  place,  and  wept 
over  Jerusalem,  and  foretold  its  doom.  Then  it  was 
lighted  brilliantly  by  the  morning  rays  of  a  risen  sun,  the 
Temple  reflecting  his  beams  with  a  rival  radiance.  Now 
the  sun  was  declining.  The  towers  and  palaces  of 
Jerusalem  cast  lengthening  shadows  over  the  homes  of 
the  people.  The  radiance  of  the  Temple  was  gone,  its 
dark  side  met  the  eye,  the  sombre  hues  of  night  were 
creeping  through  its  marble  courts,  a  tide  of  gloom  was 
rising  among  its  gilded  columns,  and  nigh  at  hand,  in  the 
dark  shadow  of  its  lofty  wall,  down  in  the  valley,  lay 
Gethsemane.  As  the  prophet  Prince  gazed  on  the  fading 
glories  of  his  abandoned  palace,  a  vision  of  the  coming 
retribution  and  ruin  transfigured  the  scene.  Sad  were 
his  eyes,  and  his  features  furrowed  by  sorrow.  Then  his 
companions,  mindful  of  his  recent  sayings,  and  oppressed 
with  sympathetic  forebodings,  ventured  to  ask : 

"  Master,  tell  us,  when  shall  these  things  be,  and  what 
the  sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world  ?  "  129 

Assenting  to  their  request,  Jesus  delivered  in  the  hear- 
ing of  these  favored  apostles  his  great  eschatological  dis- 
course. It  separates  into  two  principal  parts.  The  first 
is  apocalyptic  in  style,  and  we  note  that  St.  John  was  a 
listener.  It  predicts  times  of  trouble  and  distress  as 
forerunners  and  signs  of  the  end  of  Jerusalem,  typical  of 


THE  PROPHECY  323 

his  second  advent  and  the  end  of  the  world.  This 
prophecy,  together  with  that  spoken  an  hour  before  con- 
cerning the  Temple,  and  that  spoken  two  days  before 
concerning  Jerusalem,  within  less  than  fifty  years  became 
history.  Disasters  accumulated,  and  culminated  in  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem.  Even  to-day  some  columns  of 
the  temple  of  Jupiter  Capitolinus  are  standing,  the 
Parthenon  is  almost  entire,  the  temples  of  the  sun  at 
Heliopolis  and  at  Persepolis  are  not  wholly  ruined,  and 
travellers  still  wander  through  the  gigantic  halls  of 
Karnak ;  but  the  great  contemporary  Temple  of  Herod, 
in  less  than  a  century  from  its  beginning,  vanished  like  a 
dream.  Not  one  stone  was  left  upon  another.  The 
whole  city  was  so  utterly  destroyed  that  for  several  ages 
its  very  site  was  uncertain.  Other  nations  of  antiquity 
have  either  wholly  disappeared,  or  else  their  descendants 
still  occupy  their  country ;  but  the  Jewish  people  were 
perpetuated  yet  scattered  over  the  face  of  the  earth. 

"  For  they  must  wander  whitheringly, 

In  other  lands  to  die, 
And  where  their  father's  ashes  be, 

Their  own  may  never  lie  ; 
Their  Temple  hath  not  left  a  stone, 
And  mockery  sits  on  Salem's  throne." 

Only  divine  eyes  could  foresee  these  strange  inversions 
of  historical  order ;  and  the  exact  fulfillment  thus  far  of 
the  prophecy  confirms  the  remainder. 

The  second  part  of  the  prophecy  is  parabolic  in 
style.  It  begins,  however,  with  a  mention  of  signs  in 
the  heavens  and  the  earth  that  shall  portend  his  second 
coming  and  the  end  of  the  world.  This  is  followed  by 
a  warning  to  prepare  and  watch  for  the  advent  whose 
date  is  unknown  to  all  save  the  Father.     The  warning  is 


324  HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION 

enforced  by  the  parables  of  The  Wise  and  Evil  servants, 
The  Ten  Virgins,  and  The  Talents,  which  three  parables 
end  the  series,  making  about  thirty  in  all.130 

The  discourse  closes  with  a  parabolic  description  of 
the  last  judgment.  The  sublimity  of  the  scene  surpasses 
imagination.  Christ  appears  in  glory  attended  by  the 
holy  angels.  On  the  throne  of  his  glory  he  exercises 
full  judicial  authority  as  King  of  the  Universe.  Great 
infinities  crowd  upon  our  thought;  infinite  majesty  in 
the  celestial  tribunal,  infinite  power  in  the  resurrection 
and  assembling  of  all  the  nations,  infinite  wisdom  in  the 
separation  of  the  evil  from  the  good,  infinite  justice  in 
the  judgment,  for  those  infinite  punishment,  for  these 
eternal  life.  And  these  infinities  contrast  with  infinitesi- 
mal acts,  feeding  the  hungry  and  visiting  the  sick,  which 
give  occasion  and  direction  to  the  infinities.  Imagina- 
tion, failing  to  traverse  such  celestial  diameters,  sinks 
fainting  into  the  arms  of  faith. 


PART  NINTH 


His  Passion 


XXVI 
THE  PRELUDE 

THE  close  of  the  great  prophecy,  depicting  the 
parousia  with  dazzling  splendor,  and  affirming 
that  the  rejected  kingship  shall  yet  be  realized, 
terminates  the  mission  of  Jesus  to  the  house  of  Israel  as 
teacher  and  reformer,  as  Prophet  revealing  God's  will 
and  purpose.  Heretofore  his  public  life  has  been  one  of 
incessant  action ;  the  remainder  is  to  be  preeminently  a 
passion.  True  he  has  been  a  constant  sufferer,  through 
sympathy,  by  contradiction,  and  in  anticipation  of 
his  appointed  hour.  But  now  above  all  he  shall  suffer 
the  hiding  of  his  Father's  face,  and  become  a  curse  for 
us.  Heretofore  he  has  avoided  or  contended  with  his 
enemies ;  henceforth  he  does  neither,  but  willingly  de- 
scends into  the  valley  of  humiliation,  and  is  submissive 
and  dumb  as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers.  For  he  now 
assumes  his  second  office,  and  as  High  Priest  will  offer 
once  for  all  the  great  mediatorial  sacrifice.  Here  all  the 
radii  of  history  meet.  Let  us  put  off  our  shoes  from 
our  feet,  for  we  are  about  to  enter  the  inner  sanctuary 
of  time. 

The  sun  beyond  Jerusalem  is  setting.  The  city  with 
its  temple  is  shrouded  in  gloom.  Jesus  and  his  four 
disciples  are  silently  gazing  on  the  vision  of  things  to 
come.  With  sunset,  by  Jewish  count,  another  day 
begins.  In  its  beginning,  Jesus  withdraws  his  gaze  from 
the  remote  future,  and  fixes   it  on  that  near  at  hand. 

327 


328  HIS  PASSION 

Still  moved  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  he  tells  the  awed 
apostles  of  his  impending  passion.  Twice  already  he 
has  foretold  its  circumstances ;  now  he  gives  the  date. 

"  Ye  know  that  after  two  days  the  Passover  cometh, 
and  the  Son  of  man  is  delivered  up  to  be  crucified."  m 

These  few,  sublimely  simple  words  constitute  the 
prologue  to  the  last  act  of  the  tragedy  for  which  the 
world  was  built  as  a  stage,  and  designate  the  epoch  from 
which  eternity  counts  its  fore  and  after  aeons. 

While  Jesus  and  his  companions  were  going  in  the 
deepening  twilight  on  to  Bethany  for  the  night,  Satan 
in  Jerusalem  was  actively  assembling  his  acolytes  to  con- 
spire against  him.  The  complete  and  disgraceful  defeat 
of  their  several  assaults  during  the  past  day  exasperated 
him  and  them  to  desperation.  So,  after  sunset,  there 
was  a  caucus  of  the  leading  Sanhedrists  in  the  open 
court  of  the  palace  of  the  high  priest  Caiaphas.  This 
palace  was  situated  west  of  the  Temple  just  across  the 
Tyropceon  valley  which  ran  from  north  to  south  between 
the  temple  mount  and  the  city  on  Mount  Zion.  Its 
court  was  afterwards  the  scene  of  Peter's  denial.  Jesus 
had  just  foretold  his  death  with  calm  certainty ;  his 
adversaries  with  feverish  uncertainty  were  now  consulting 
how  they  might  take  him  by  subtilty  and  kill  him. 
They  dared  not  proceed  openly,  for  they  feared  the  peo- 
ple lest  there  should  be  an  uproar.  The  Jews  were 
easily  inflamed,  were  very  turbulent  and  violent,  so  that 
the  fears  of  the  Sanhedrists  were  not  idle  fears.  There- 
fore they  would  resort  to  subtle  craft;  but  unable  to 
devise  a  feasible  plan,  they  finally  decided  to  postpone 
the  attempt  until  after  Passover,  when  the  departing  of 
the   multitudes   would  restore  their  usual    power.     The 


THE  PRELUDE  329 

subsequent  proposition  of  Judas,  however,  changed  this 
decision.  They  could  neither  hasten  nor  delay  the  divine 
order.132 

It  will  be  well  just  here  to  give  a  brief  account  of  the 
high  priesthood,  and  of  its  present  incumbents,  who  have 
already  been  referred  to  by  name  several  times,  and  who 
soon  become  prominent  actors.  The  office,  according  to 
the  law,  was  for  life  and  hereditary.  The  succession  had 
been  uninterrupted,  with  one  exception,  until  the  century 
beginning  with  Herodian  rule,  during  which  century 
there  were  twenty-seven  depositions  and  appointments 
by  royal  authority.  Herod  and  the  Romans  played  at 
football  with  the  high  priesthood.  In  a.  d.  7,  Annas 
was  appointed  by  the  Roman  procurator,  and  continued 
in  office  seven  years.  He  was  then  deposed  by  like 
authority,  and  several  of  his  sons  appointed  and  deposed, 
one  after  another.  Then  Joseph  Caiaphas,  his  son-in-law, 
received  the  office  from  the  procurator  in  a.  d.  26,  and  in 
turn  was  deposed  in  a.  d.  37.  Therefore,  during  the  min- 
istry of  Jesus,  Caiaphas  was  officially  high  priest,  and  as 
such  had  wickedly  prophesied  that  it  was  expedient  that 
one  man  should  die  for  the  people.  But  Annas  was 
looked  upon  by  the  Jews  as  legitimately  high  priest,  and 
he  acted  as  deputy,  sagan,  to  Caiaphas.  His  influence 
was  therefore  very  great,  and  it  required  the  sanction  of 
both  to  legitimize  and  popularize  any  measure.  Hence 
the  plural,  high  priests,  at  this  time,  though  legally  there 
was  but  one.  Their  cooperation  appears  in  subsequent 
events. 

The  night  and  day  of  Wednesday  passed  in  silence. 
Jesus  doubtless  spent  its  hours  in  the  privacy  of  the  home 


33o  HIS  PASSION 

of  his  friends  at  Bethany.  We  would  gladly  know  some- 
thing of  his  meditations  during  this  solemn  though  brief 
seclusion  in  near  prospect  of  the  bitter  cross.  But  we 
have  only  the  poet's  surmise : 

"  On  thee  and  thine,  thy  warfare  and  thine  end, 

E'en  in  this  hour  of  agony  he  thought, 
When,  ere  the  final  pang  his  soul  should  rend, 

The  ransomed  spirits  one  by  one  were  brought 
To  his  mind's  eye ;  this  silent  day  of  days 
In  calmness  for  his  far-seen  hour  he  stays."  13» 

In  the  evening  his  hostess  made  him  a  feast  to  which 
the  twelve  were  bidden.  As  it  was  not  customary  for 
women  to  share  in  formal  feasts,  the  busy  Martha  served 
and  the  quiet  Mary  otherwise  honored  her  Teacher,  while 
the  revenant  Lazarus  reclined  at  table  with  the  guests. 
Is  it  not  strange  that  Jesus,  when  passing  into  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death,  should  have  accepted  the  com- 
pliment of  a  banquet,  and  engaged  in  social  festivity? 
For  this,  though  it  attained  a  higher  significance,  was 
doubtless  originally  intended  as  a  festal  expression  of 
gratitude  for  the  return  of  Lazarus,  a  joyful  resurrection 
feast.  Yet  thus  the  lord  of  life  entered  the  vale  of  death. 
Now  it  was  not  the  habit  of  Jesus  to  turn  gladness  into 
sadness,  and  we  may  be  sure  that,  though  he  felt  the  iron 
grasp  of  his  destiny,  though  he  knew  that  for  him  but  one 
day  of  peace  remained,  yet  in  full  sympathy  with  joyful, 
thankful  hearts,  he  took  his  place  at  the  festive  board, 
and  by  his  kindly  cheerfulness  and  pleasant  converse  with 
his  friends  redoubled  their  happiness.  Such  self-command 
is  sublime ;  such  self-forgetful  love  divine.134 

Try  to  picture  the  scene ;  the  banquet  hall  lighted  by 
candelabra;  the  low  table  in  form  of  the  letter  U;  the 


THE  PRELUDE  331 

couches  ranged  around  its  outside,  heading  on  it ;  the  one 
at  the  closed  end  a  little  apart  from  the  others,  and  occu- 
pied by  Jesus  alone;  on  his  left  or  behind  him  as  he 
leaned  on  his  left  elbow,  the  revenant  Lazarus ;  on  his 
right  or  before  him,  the  apostle  John;  the  other  apostles 
reclining  on  couches  at  the  sides  ;  no  other  guests  ;  Martha 
standing  at  the  open  end  of  the  table  opposite  to  Jesus, 
directing  the  service  along  the  clear  space  within  ;  ranged 
against  the  walls  of  the  hall  many  standing  spectators, 
mostly  curious  common  people  from  Jerusalem,  an  ever 
changing  crowd,  keenly  but  respectfully  scrutinizing  the 
dead  alive  and  the  giver  of  life.  Such  attendance  of  un- 
invited spectators  on  a  semi-public  banquet,  was  and 
still  is  oriental  custom ;  and  it  was  the  flowing  of  these 
people  from  Jerusalem  to  Bethany  that  now  finally  so 
exasperated  the  chief  priests  that  they  took  counsel  to 
put  Lazarus  also  to  death,  since  by  reason  of  him  many 
of  the  Jews  believed  on  Jesus. 

The  feast  progresses.  In  the  midst  or  near  its  end, 
Mary,  hitherto  unseen,  advances  between  her  brother's 
couch  and  that  whereon  Jesus  lay,  bearing  an  alabaster 
cruse  of  spikenard ;  she  breaks  off  its  narrow  neck,  and 
pours  much  of  the  precious  ointment  upon  the  head  of 
Jesus  ;  then  turning  to  his  feet,  she  pours  the  remainder 
over  them ;  then  kneeling  down  she  humbly  catches  the 
drippings  from  his  feet  on  her  hair  brought  forward  in 
her  hands,  and  gently  wipes  them  with  the  flowing 
tresses.  The  house  is  filled  with  the  delicious  perfume  as 
with  the  fragrance  of  all  pervading  love. 

She  had  kept  the  spikenard  for  this  day.  It  was  a 
princely  gift,  a  pound,  pure  and  very  precious.  When 
the  hour  she  awaited  came,  Mary  broke  her  cruse,  a 
heroic  action,  there  was  no  reserve,  all  was  lavished,  all. 


332  HIS  PASSION 

The  first,  choice  portion  was  poured  upon  his  head ;  the 
cruse  was  exhausted  on  his  feet.  It  was  customary  for  a 
servant  to  wash  with  water  the  feet  of  guests  as  they  re- 
clined at  table,  and  this  must  have  been  grateful  to  such 
as  were  travellers  afoot.  But  to  anoint  with  precious  oil 
the  feet  even  of  kings  and  emperors,  was  not  known  until 
Otho  taught  it  to  Nero.  Here,  however,  a  noble  woman, 
in  an  ecstasy  of  love,  gratitude  and  adoration,  anticipated 
the  prodigality  of  the  Caesars,  and  herself  anointed  the 
feet  of  her  guest  whose  weary  life-journey  was  near  at 
end.  Near  at  end,  yet  now  entering  a  new  office.  May 
we  not  think  of  this  as  an  inauguration  festival,  and  that 
as  Moses  poured  of  the  anointing  oil  upon  Aaron's  head, 
and  anointed  him  to  sanctify  him,  so  it  was  ordained  that 
here  a  pure  and  loving  woman  should  anoint  our  great 
High  Priest,  consecrated  for  evermore. 

A  new  actor  now  enters  the  scene.  Judas  Iscariot,  one 
of  the  apostolic  college  and  its  bursar,  had  taken  the 
couch  just  beyond  Lazarus,  claiming  an  upper  place  be- 
cause of  his  office,  and  wishing  to  avoid  as  far  as  prac- 
ticable the  Master's  eye.  While  Mary  was  yet  wiping 
her  Lord's  feet  with  her  hair,  Judas  turned  to  her  with 
the  sanctimonious  speech : 

"  To  what  purpose  is  this  waste  ?  For  this  ointment 
might  have  been  sold  for  above  three  hundred  denaries, 
and  given  to  the  poor." 

Waste,  was  it  ?  And  whom  did  he  mean  by  the  poor  ? 
The  college  ?  Then  this  was  a  beggar's  whine.  Others  ? 
Then  it  was  pure  hypocrisy,  for  he  cared  not  for  the 
poor.  In  either  case  he  wanted  the  denaries  in  the  com- 
mon purse  entrusted  to  him,  that  he  might  pilfer  from  it 
more  than  usual ;  for  he  was  a  thief,  habitually  stealing 
from  its  slender  contents. 


THE  PRELUDE  333 

No  doubt  the  gentle  lady  was  troubled  by  those  rude, 
supercilious  words.  Modest  and  taciturn,  she  had  no  re- 
ply; but  there  was  one  to  speak  for  her.  Ill  manners 
were  offensive  to  Jesus,  and  he  despised  hypocrisy. 
Here  it  cropped  out  from  a  follower.  Was  he  not  mor- 
tified ?  If  the  speech  had  the  beggar  whine,  then  surely 
Jesus  blushed.  No  sooner  did  the  harsh  voice  grate 
upon  his  ear  than  fixing  quick  his  flashing  eyes  on  Judas, 
he  sternly  said : 

"  Let  her  alone." 

Then  turning  an  indignant  glance  on  certain  of  the  dis- 
ciples who,  approving  the  pious  speech  of  Judas,  had 
murmured  against  her,  he  added  : 

"  Why  trouble  ye  the  woman  ?  She  hath  wrought  a 
beautiful  work,  Mpyov  i<a\6v,  on  me.  She  hath  done  what 
she  could.     She  did  it  to  prepare  me  for  burial." 

Did  Mary  consciously  anticipate  that  sad  rite  ?  Only 
perhaps  in  dim  presage.  But  these  words  show  whither 
the  thought  of  Jesus  was  tending  in  the  midst  of  the  glad 
feast. 

A  beautiful  work.  Love's  farewell  sacrifice.  She  had 
kept  her  gift  which  she  might  have  used  in  embalming 
her  brother,  for  embalming  her  Lord.  Mary  of  Bethany, 
though  no  word  of  her  own  is  recorded,  stands,  with 
Mary  of  Magdala,  next  to  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus  in 
the  loving  admiration  of  mankind  ;  and,  according  to  his 
word,  wheresoever  the  glad  tidings  are  preached  in  the 
whole  world,  there  also  is  this  told  for  a  memorial  of 
her. 

The  incident  is  rendered  most  exquisite  by  the  vivid 
contrast  between  Judas  and  Mary.  Observe  his  hypoc- 
risy, her  sincerity;  his  heartless  noisy  speech,  her 
hearty  silent  act.     Compare  his  broken  purse  with  her 


334  HIS  PASSION 

broken  cruse ;  his  selfish  greed  with  her  generous  liber- 
ality ;  the  price  he  received  to  dishonor  and  destroy 
with  the  price  she  paid  to  honor  and  embalm.  Both  did 
what  they  could ;  and  thereby  the  one  became  eternally 
infamous,  the  other  famous  in  earth  and  heaven  forever. 

With  the  commendation  of  her  Lord,  Mary  of  Bethany 
disappears  from  the  gospel  story ;  with  the  rebuke  of  his 
Master,  Judas  comes  into  bad  eminence.  Heretofore 
only  his  name  has  appeared,  yet  here  and  there  his  shadow 
falls.  Many  warnings  of  Jesus  attain  a  more  pointed 
significance,  if  we  remember  that  Judas  was  a  hearer,  and 
to  his  presence  may  be  attributed  occasional  traces  of  re- 
serve and  depression.  Jesus  knew  what  was  in  man,  and 
from  the  beginning  knew  who  should  betray  him.  Once 
he  alluded  to  Judas  as  a  devil.  Why  then  did  he  elect 
and  retain  him  as  an  apostle?  The  question  is  unan- 
swerable. 

Judas  was  ambitious  and  avaricious.  He  had  heard 
the  promise  of  twelve  princedoms.  This  fired  his  unre- 
generate  soul  with  dazzling  hopes  of  power  and  splendor 
that  blinded  his  moral  sense.  Meantime,  having  shown 
some  smartness  in  money  matters,  a  dangerous  talent,  he 
was  made  bursar,  a  dangerous  trust.  This  whetted  his 
greed,  and  the  expectant  prince  habitually  pilfered  from 
the  scanty  purse.  Had  he  not  heard,  He  that  is  unright- 
eous in  a  very  little  is  unrighteous  also  in  much  ;  if  there- 
fore ye  have  not  been  faithful  in  the  unrighteous  mammon, 
who  will  commit  to  your  trust  the  true  riches  ?  Such 
warnings,  accompanied  perhaps  by  significant  glances, 
made  his  guilty  soul  continually  uneasy,  generating  dis- 
like growing  into  malignity. 

The  feast  at  Bethany  is  over ;  the  guests  are  retiring. 


THE  PRELUDE  335 

Jesus,  and  perhaps  two  or  three  of  the  twelve,  spend  the 
night  in  that  favored  home,  the  others  depart  for  the 
camp,  and  the  last  of  the  spectators  from  Jerusalem  re- 
turn to  the  city.  Judas  secretly  goes  with  these.  For 
the  sharp  rebuke  had  stung  him ;  and  then  too  he  heard 
Jesus  speak  of  his  burial  as  near  at  hand.  So  he  de- 
spaired of  the  princedom.  But  he  knew  the  hot  desire 
of  the  powerful  hierarchy  to  seize  Jesus,  and  his  feverish 
ambition  grasps  at  the  notion  of  betrayal  as  a  means  of 
securing  favor,  and  through  this,  place,  power,  wealth. 
Also  it  would  at  once  gratify  his  resentment,  and  hide 
his  past  guilt.  Moreover,  he  would  be  rendering  an  im- 
portant service  to  the  State ;  and  so  his  refuge  at  last  was 
patriotism.135 

We  read  in  a  certain  place  that  on  a  day  when  the 
Sons  of  God  were  assembled  a  second  time  before  him  in 
heaven,  Satan  also  appeared  again  amongst  them,  having 
failed  in  his  temptation.  So  also  was  this  ever  active, 
ever  watchful  Adversary  a  present  spectator  at  the  feast, 
having  failed  in  his  many  temptations,  baffled  at  every 
turn.  There  he  heard  the  rebuke,  looked  into  the  soul 
of  his  acolyte,  approved  its  mood,  entered  into  him, 
fanned  the  flame,  and  used  him  as  a  willing  tool  to  per- 
fect his  hellish  scheme.  Thus  it  was  that  the  word  of 
Jesus,  spoken  to  defend  a  gentle  woman,  became  a  link 
in  the  chain  of  his  destiny. 

The  night  was  deepening  as  Judas  passed  through  the 
gate  of  Jerusalem.  He  found  the  chief  priests,  Annas 
and  Caiaphas,  at  their  palace,  with  the  officers  of  the 
Levitical  police,  which  was  subject  to  their  orders,  con- 
sulting how  they  might  trapan  both  Jesus  and  Lazarus. 
They  recognize  Judas  as  a  follower  of  the  Nazarene,  and 
are  glad  to  hear  him  ask : 


336  HIS  PASSION 

"  What  are  ye  willing  to  give  me,  and  I  will  deliver 
him  unto  you  ?  " 

These  men  were  rich.  The  temple  traffic  alone,  which 
they  licensed  and  partly  practiced,  though  just  now 
checked,  had  yielded  them  large  revenues.  Hence 
Judas,  in  view  of  their  intensified  hostility,  had  reason  to 
hope  for  a  large  bribe.  What  was  his  chagrin  when, 
after  consultation,  they  offered  him  only  thirty  shekels, 
the  legal  price  of  a  slave,  about  eighteen  dollars.  No 
doubt  he  chaffered  and  haggled  ;  but  in  the  bargaining, 
Jew  met  Jew.  They  said  it  was  the  fitting  price,  it  was 
enough,  and  his  aid  indeed  was  not  needed.  Yet  they 
excited  his  greed  by  showing  him  the  silver ;  they 
weighed  it  out  before  his  eyes,  and  put  it  aside  in  a 
pouch,  sealed.  Contemptuously  ranked  as  the  servant 
of  a  slave,  his  vain  hope  of  favor  and  promotion  col- 
lapsed. Disappointed  in  the  meagre  sum  offered,  his 
dream  of  riches  vanished.  He  would  have  refused  the 
pitiful  bribe,  but  it  was  too  late  to  retreat.  So  he  cov- 
enanted with  them,  and  promised  to  do  the  deed,  reach- 
ing forth  his  hand  for  the  pouch.  No,  not  yet.  They 
covenanted  with  him,  and  promised  to  pay  the  monies 
when  the  deed  was  done,  reserving  them  with  reasonable 
distrust.  Also  it  was  covenanted  that  the  Nazarene 
should  be  delivered  unto  them  in  the  absence  of  the  mul- 
titude, lest  there  be  a  tumult.  Then,  after  some  words 
with  the  captain  of  the  police,  Judas  left  the  palace  and 
the  city.  Thus  was  our  Master  sold  as  a  slave,  that  we 
might  be  made  free. 

Devising  how  he  might  betray  him,  the  vile  traitor 
slunk  across  the  ridge  of  Olivet  towards  the  Galilean 
camp.  It  was  midnight.  He  paused  upon  the  hillock 
that  lies  between  Olivet  and  Bethany,  and  under  the  full 


THE  PRELUDE  337 

paschal  moon  at  meridian,  he  stood  to  gloat  his  wicked 
eyes  on  the  village,  holy  in  its  calm  stillness.  There 
Jesus  was  peacefully  sleeping.     It  was  his  last  slumber. 

"  Now  the  last  sleep, 
Last  of  his  earthly  slumbers,  gently  sealed 
The  Saviour's  eyes.     In  heavenly  peace  it  came, 
Descending  from  the  sanctuary  of  God 
In  the  still  softness  of  the  evening  air." 


XXVII 
THE  EUCHARIST 

THE  great  passover  festival  commemorated  the 
exodus  of  Israel  from  Egypt.  It  began,  after 
days  of  preliminary  purifications,  on  the  14th 
of  Nisan,  the  first  month  of  the  Jewish  year,  and  con- 
tinued eight  days.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  14th,  the 
paschal  lamb  was  slain  in  the  Temple,  and  dressed  for 
the  Pascha,  the  feast,  which  took  place  after  sunset,  the 
beginning  of  the  15th,  the  time  of  full  moon.  Of  the 
many  hundreds  of  thousands  assembled  on  the  occasion 
in  and  about  Jerusalem,  each  family,  or  group  of  persons 
associated  for  the  purpose,  spread  its  own  feast,  the  house- 
holders of  the  city  furnishing  accommodations  as  far  as 
practicable  to  strangers.  The  feast  consisted  of  the 
roasted  lamb,  a  sauce  of  dates,  unleavened  bread,  and 
bitter  herbs,  together  with  wine.  The  14th  of  Nisan,  in 
the  year  of  the  Lord's  fourth  and  last  Passover,  fell  on 
Thursday,  which  by  our  calendar  was  April  6th,  a.  d.  30. 

About  noon  of  Thursday,  the  first  day  of  unleavened 
bread,  Jesus  sent  Peter  and  John,  coupled  now  for  the 
first  time  but  hereafter  acting  together,  saying,  Go  and 
make  ready  for  us  the  passover.  They  asked  him, 
Where  ?     He  said  to  them  : 

"  Go  into  the  city,  there  shall  meet  you  a  serving  man 
bearing  a  pitcher  of  water ;  follow  him  into  the  house 
whereunto  he  goeth,  and  say  to  the  goodman  of  the 

338 


THE  EUCHARIST  339 

house,  The  Master  saith,  where  is  the  guest  chamber, 
where  I  shall  eat  the  passover  with  my  disciples  ?  and  he 
will  himself  shew  you  a  larger  upper  room  furnished ; 
there  make  ready." 

Why  this  mystery  ?  Obviously  it  was  important  that 
Judas  should  not  know  beforehand  where  the  evening 
would  be  spent ;  a  singular  mingling  of  human  prudence 
with  divine  prescience.136 

The  messengers  found  all  as  he  had  said.  The  good- 
man  of  the  house  was  evidently  a  disciple,  and  probably 
the  father  of  John  Mark,  the  evangelist,  then  a  mere  lad 
and  at  home.  Peter  and  John,  having  obtained  and 
slain  the  lamb,  and  otherwise  made  ready,  reported  their 
preparations  to  Jesus  at  sunset. 

The  evening  has  now  come,  the  15th  of  Nisan  reck- 
oned from  sunset  to  sunset,  twenty-four  hours,  crowded 
with  events,  beginning  with  the  Pascha  and  ending  with 
the  burial. 

Jesus  leads  the  twelve  into  the  city,  into  the  upper 
room.  Here  the  table  is  in  the  form  of  the  letter  I,  with 
a  couch  at  its  upper  end  for  three  persons  ;  on  it  the  Mas- 
ter reclines  with  John  at  his  right  before  him,  and  Judas 
in  his  choice  place  behind  him ;  the  ten  others  occupy 
couches  heading  the  sides.  Thirteen  at  table,  of  whom 
before  the  next  sunset,  one  commits  suicide,  another  is 
crucified.     Hence  a  common  and  persistent  superstition. 

It  seems  that  the  disciples,  in  taking  their  couches  at 
table,  had  some  childish  dispute  among  themselves  about 
precedence,  as  to  who  were  entitled  to  the  more  honor- 
able places.  When  this  had  passed,  and  they  were  in 
place,  Jesus  first  sadly  expressed  to  them  the  earnest  de- 
sire he  had  felt  to  eat  with  them,  before  he  should  suf- 


340  HIS  PASSION 

fer,  this  his  last  passover.  Then  he  gently  reproved  their 
vain  rivalry  and  strife,  and  asked  : 

"  Whether  is  greater,  he  that  reclineth  at  meat,  or  he 
that  serveth  ?  Is  not  he  that  reclineth  at  meat  ?  But  I 
am  in  the  midst  of  you  as  he  that  serveth."  187 

So  saying,  he  arose  from  his  couch,  laid  aside  his  upper 
garment,  took  a  towel  and  girded  himself.  Then  he 
poured  water  into  a  bason,  and  began  to  wash  the  feet  of 
the  disciples,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel.  Did  he 
not  begin  with  Judas  ?  Jesus  washing  the  feet  of  Judas  ! 
Surely  humility  has  no  lower  depth.  In  turn  he  came  to 
Simon  Peter,  who  said  unto  him : 

"  Lord,  dost  thou  wash  my  feet  ?  " 

"  What  I  do,"  replied  Jesus,  "  thou  knowest  not  now  ; 
but  thou  shalt  understand  hereafter." 

"  Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet." 

"  If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me." 

"  Lord,  not  my  feet  only,  but  also  my  hands  and  my 
head." 

"  He  that  is  bathed  needeth  not  to  wash,  but  is  clean 
every  whit ;  and  ye  are  clean,  but  not  all." 

So  when  he  had  washed  their  feet,  and  taken  his  gar- 
ment, and  reclined  again,  he  said : 

"  Know  ye  what  I  have  done  to  you  ?  If  I,  your  Lord 
and  Master,  have  washed  your  feet,  ye  also  ought  to  wash 
one  another's  feet." 

By  this  great  object  lesson,  this  sublime  humility,  he 
taught  the  apostles,  and  his  disciples  throughout  all  time, 
that  the  noblest  end  of  man's  endeavor  is  loving  service. 
Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens,  and  so  fulfill  the  law  of 
Christ. 

Evidently  Jesus  felt  restrained  by  the  presence  of  Judas. 


THE  EUCHARIST  341 

He  well  knew  that  Satan  had  put  it  into  his  willing  heart 
to  betray  him,  and  that  the  hour  was  at  hand.  So,  when 
he  had  interpreted  the  object  lesson,  he  was  troubled  in 
spirit,  and  said  : 

"  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  one  of  you  that 
eateth  with  me  shall  betray  me ;  but  woe  to  that  man  by 
whom  I  am  betrayed."  138 

The  disciples  looked  one  on  another,  doubting  of  whom 
he  spake.  They  became  exceeding  sorrowful,  and  with 
wonderful  self-distrust,  began  to  say  unto  him  one  by  one. 

«  Is  it  I,  Lord  ?     Is  it  I  ?  " 

Jesus,  whose  head  was  bowed,  not  responding,  Simon 
Peter  signalled  to  John,  whom  Jesus  loved  and  who  was 
reclining  next  before  him,  to  inquire  and  tell  who  it  was. 
John,  leaning  back  as  he  was,  his  head  coming  to  rest  on 
Jesus'  breast,  whispered  to  him,  Lord,  who  is  it  ?  Jesus 
answered  in  like  tone,  He  it  is,  for  whom  I  shall  dip  the 
sop,  and  give  it  him.  So  when  he  had  dipped  bread  in 
the  sop,  he  gave  it  to  Judas,  who  was  reclining  just  be- 
hind him.  Then  Judas,  with  brazen  audacity,  but  in 
under-tone,  asked : 

«  Is  it  I,  Rabbi  ?  " 

"  Thou  hast  said,"  assented  Jesus. 

Thereupon  Satan,  who  was  present,  at  this  feast  also, 
entered  again  into  Judas  to  fortify  him.  And  Jesus  said 
unto  him  aloud : 

"  What  thou  doest,  do  quickly." 

Now  the  others  at  the  table  did  not  know  with  what 
intent  he  said  this,  for  the  whispers  concerning  the  treason 
were  not  generally  understood.  Some  thought,  because 
Judas  had  the  purse,  that  Jesus  directed  him  to  buy 
things  needed  during  the  festival,  or  to  give  something  to 
the  poor.     It  was  their  custom,  then,  to  give  alms  from 


342  HIS  PASSION 

their  slender  and  thievingly  depleted  store.  Judas,  how- 
ever, understood,  and  arose,  and  went  out  straightway. 
And  it  was  night. 

When  therefore  he  was  gone  out,  Jesus,  relieved  from 
the  oppression  of  his  presence,  broke  out  exultingly : 

"  Now  is  the  Son  of  man  glorified,  and  God  is  glorified 
in  him.  Little  children,  yet  a  little  while  I  am  with  you ; 
but  whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come.  A  new  command- 
ment I  give  unto  you  ;  that,  even  as  I  have  loved  you,  ye 
love  one  another." 139 

But  this  tone  soon  subsided  in  the  sad  prediction  : 
"  All  ye  shall  be  offended  in  me  this  night ;  for  it  is 
written,  I  will  smite  the  shepherd,  and  the  sheep  shall  be 
scattered  abroad." 

Then  Peter  spake  up  and  said  boldly  : 
"  Although  all  shall  be  offended,  yet  will  not  I." 
Likewise  also  said  all  the  disciples.     Peter,  however, 
not  satisfied  with  his  simple  asseveration,  asked  : 
"  Lord,  whither  goest  thou  ?  " 

"  Whither  I  go,"  replied  Jesus,  "  thou  canst  not  follow 
me  now  ;  but  thou  shalt  follow  afterwards." 

"  Why  cannot  I  follow  thee  even  now  ?  With  thee  I  am 
ready  to  go  both  to  prison  and  to  death.  I  will  lay  down 
my  life  for  thee." 

Then  said  Jesus  to  him,  very  emphatically : 
"  Wilt  thou  lay  down  thy  life  for  me  ?     Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  thee,  that  this  night,  before  the  cock  crow, 
thou  shalt  thrice  deny  that  thou  knowest  me." 
But  Peter  spake  exceeding  vehemently  : 
"  If  I  must  die  with  thee,  yet  will  I  not  deny  thee." 
"  Simon,  Simon,"  said  Jesus,  "  behold  Satan  hath  ob- 
tained you,  as  Job  of  old,  by  asking,  in  order  that  he  may 


THE  EUCHARIST  343 

sift  you  as  wheat ;  but  I  have  made  supplication  for  thee, 
that  thy  faith  fail  not." 

Then  addressing  the  whole  company,  he  asked : 

"  When  I  sent  you  forth  without  purse,  and  wallet,  and 
shoes,  lacked  ye  anything  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  they  replied.     He  rejoined  : 

"  But  now,  he  that  hath  a  purse,  let  him  take  it,  and 
likewise  a  wallet ;  and  he  that  hath  no  sword,  let  him  sell 
his  cloak,  and  buy  one." 

Taking  this  literally,  and  seeing  a  couple  of  swords 
hanging  across  on  the  wall,  they  said  : 

"  Lord,  behold,  here  are  two  swords." 

"  It  is  enough,"  said  Jesus,  with  a  sigh. 

After  an  interval  of  silence,  as  they  were  eating,  Jesus 
took  bread,  and  when  he  had  given  thanks,  he  brake  it, 
and  gave  to  the  disciples,  saying  : 

"  Take,  eat ;  this  is  my  body  which  is  given  for  you  ; 
this  do  in  remembrance  of  me."  uo 

And  in  like  manner,  after  supper,  he  took  the  cup,  and 
gave  thanks,  and  gave  to  them,  saying  : 

"  This  is  my  blood  of  the  covenant,  which  is  shed  for 
many  unto  remission  of  sins.     Drink  all  ye  of  it." 

And  they  all  drank  of  it.     He  then  added  : 

"  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  shall  no  more  drink  of  the 
fruit  of  the  vine,  until  that  day  when  I  drink  it  new  with 
you  in  my  Father's  kingdom." 

Thus,  in  this  wonderfully  simple  manner,  was  estab- 
lished the  great  ordinance  of  the  Eucharist,  that  is,  the 
Thanksgiving,  quite  commonly  called,  among  Protestants, 
The  Lord's  Supper,  among  Romanists,  The  Sacrifice  of 
the  Mass.  Its  meaning,  the  mode  of  its  observance,  and 
the  extent  of  its  efficacy  in  the  participant,  have  been  for 


344  HIS  PASSION 

many  ages,  and  still  are,  matter  of  widely  divergent  opin- 
ions and  heated  contentions  among  the  many  sects  of 
the  Christian  world. 

The  institution  of  this  sacrament  was  followed  by  a 
farewell  address,  beginning,  Let  not  your  heart  be 
troubled.  I  go,  said  he,  to  prepare  a  place  for  you,  that 
where  I  am  ye  may  be  also ;  and  I  will  pray  the  Father, 
and  he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may 
be  with  you  forever,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth.  The 
address  overflows  with  loving  consolation.  Its  first  por- 
tion is  conversational,  Thomas,  Philip  and  Jude  being 
questioners.141 

At  his  bidding  all  arise  from  their  couches,  and  listen 
standing  to  the  second  part  of  the  valedictory,  beginning 
with  the  simile,  I  am  the  true  vine,  my  Father  is  the 
husbandman,  ye  are  the  branches.  He  adds,  No  longer 
do  I  call  you  servants,  but  friends.  He  tells  them  of  the 
persecutions  they  shall  suffer,  and  closes  with,  Behold, 
the  hour  cometh,  yea,  is  come,  that  ye  shall  scatter,  but 
in  me  ye  may  have  peace;  in  the  world  ye  have 
tribulation,  but  be  of  good  cheer,  I  have  overcome  the 
world. 

These  things  spake  Jesus.  Then,  lifting  his  eyes  to 
heaven,  he  offered  up  to  the  Father,  whose  face  was  soon 
to  be  hidden,  a  great  High  Priestly  prayer,  wherewith 
the  innermost  recesses  of  his  heart  are  laid  open.  Let 
us  forbear.142 

The  solemn  intercession  finished,  they  lifted  up  to- 
gether their  voices,  and  chanted,  as  the  custom  was  at 
the  close  of  the  Pascha,  the  hundred  and  thirty-sixth 
Psalm,  beginning : 


THE  EUCHARIST  345 

"  O  give  thanks  unto  Jehovah ; 
For  he  is  good  ; 
For  his  mercy  is  forever." 143 

Then  with  sad  foreboding  the  eleven  followed  the 
Master  out  of  the  upper  chamber,  out  of  the  house,  out 
of  the  city.     It  was  night. 


XXVIII 

THE  ARREST 

AS  the  little  band  wended  its  usual  way  out  of  the 
city  towards  Olivet,  John,  we  may  be  sure, 
walked  on  the  right  of  his  Master  in  front. 
Peter  was  on  his  left.  For,  on  leaving  the  upper 
chamber,  he  had  taken  down  from  the  wall  one  of  the 
two  swords  that  hung  there  across,  and  girded  it  in  its 
sheath  to  his  side.  Thus  armed  as  advised,  he  felt  bold 
for  defense,  and  hand  on  hilt  marched  bravely  in  the 
lead.  They  passed  out  the  eastern  gate  just  north  of  the 
Temple,  and  descended  into  the  ravine  Kedron,  or  vale 
of  Cedars,  that  ran  between  the  temple  mount  and 
Olivet. 

At  or  near  the  bottom  of  this  valley,  less  than  half  a 
mile  from  the  city  gate,  beside  the  road  leading  up 
Olivet,  was  a  small  garden  enclosed  by  walls,  called 
Gethsemane,  or  Oil-press,  because  there  was  extracted 
oil  from  the  fruit  of  neighboring  olive  orchards.  It  in- 
cluded a  few  olive  and  cedar  trees,  some  cultivated 
shrubbery  and  flowering  plants.  Although  so  near  the 
city  and  opening  on  a  much  frequented  highway,  it  was 
a  secluded  retreat,  being  screened  by  its  stone  walls. 
Owned  probably  by  a  disciple  resident  in  the  city, 
possibly  by  Mark's  father,  the  place  was  familiar  to  Jesus 
and  his  companions  as  a  resort  for  private  intercourse. m 

When,  on  this  last  occasion,  towards  midnight,  they 
entered  the  garden  at  the  bottom  of   the  deep  ravine, 

346 


THE  ARREST  347 

under  the  foot  of  the  mountain  and  the  frown  of  the 
lofty  temple  wall,  it  was  dark  beneath  the  thick  foliage ; 
for  the  paschal  moon  at  meridian,  rather  than  look  upon 
the  scene,  had  veiled  her  pale  face  with  thick  clouds. 
Just  within  the  gate,  Jesus  bid  eight  of  the  eleven : 

"  Sit  ye  here,  while  I  go  yonder  and  pray." 

And  he  took  with  him  Peter  and  James  and  John  into 
the  midst  of  the  enclosure.     There  he  said  : 

"  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto  death ; 
abide  ye  here,  and  watch." 

And  he  went  alone  a  little  forward  into  the  deepest 
recesses  of  the  garden,  and  fell  to  the  ground  upon  his 
face,  and  prayed,  saying  : 

"  O  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  away 
from  me ;  nevertheless  not  my  will  but  thine  be  done." 

"  'Tis  midnight ;  and  on  Olive's  brow 

The  star  is  dimmed  that  lately  shone ; 
'Tis  midnight ;  in  the  garden  now, 
The  suffering  Saviour  prays  alone." 

His  invocation  here,  and  here  only,  is,  My  Father. 
The  embrace  of  love.  After  a  time  he  cometh  unto  the 
three  disciples  and  findeth  them  sleeping,  and  saith  unto 
Peter : 

"  Simon,  sleepest  thou  ?  Couldst  thou  not  watch  one 
hour?" 

In  compassionate  excuse,  he  adds  : 

"  The  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak." 

And  again  he  went  away  into  the  thicket  of  this 
second  Eden,  and  prayed  the  same  prayer. 

"  'Tis  midnight ;  and  from  all  removed 
The  Saviour  wrestles  lone  with  fears  ; 
E'en  the  disciple  whom  he  loved 

Heeds  not  his  Master's  grief  and  tears." 


348  HIS  PASSION 

Longing  for  human  sympathy  in  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  he  came  again  to  the  disciples,  the 
same  favored  trio,  who  had  slept  on  the  Mount  of  Trans- 
figuration. The  second  time  he  found  them  again  sleep- 
ing, for  their  eyes  were  very  heavy  with  sorrow.  So  he 
went  away  once  more,  and  prayed  the  third  time,  saying 
again  the  same  words.  And  being  in  an  agony  he 
prayed  more  earnestly ;  and  the  sweat  of  his  brow  be- 
came great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to  the  ground. 
This  was  not  supernatural,  for  pathologists  tell  us  that 
under  intense  agony  the  veins  of  the  human  forehead 
swell  even,  though  rarely,  to  bursting.  We  may,  how- 
ever, imagine  with  Carlo  Dolce  that  each  drop  of  blood 
while  falling  kindled  into  light. 

"  Tis  midnight ;  and  for  other's  guilt 

The  man  of  sorrows  weeps  in  blood ; 
Yet  he  who  hath  in  anguish  knelt 
Is  not  forsaken  by  his  God." 

For  there  appeared  unto  him  an  angel  from  heaven, 
strengthening  him ;  as  at  the  close  of  the  earlier  Tempta- 
tion. 

"  'Tis  midnight ;  and  from  ether  plains 
Is  borne  the  song  that  angels  know ; 
Unheard  by  mortals  are  the  strains 

That  sweetly  soothe  the  Saviour's  woe." 

And  when  he  rose  up  from  his  prayer,  he  came  yet 
again  to  the  chosen  three,  and  finding  them  still  sleeping, 
said  with  compassionate  irony : 

"  Sleep  on  now,  and  take  your  rest." 

He  waited  on  their  brief  rest  until  a  glare  of  distant 
torches  caught  his  eye,  and  the  sound  of  an  approaching 


THE  ARREST  349 

multitude  assailed  his  ear ;  whereupon  he  awakened  them 

with : 

"  It  is  enough.     The  hour  of  betrayal  is  come." 
Then  advancing  with  them  to  the  garden  gate,  where 

the  others  were  stationed,  he  summoned  all,  saying : 
"  Arise,  let  us  be  going.     Behold,  he  that  betrayeth 

me  is  at  hand." 

It  will  be  pardonable  to  linger  here  a  moment  for  a  ret- 
rospective glance.  The  foregoing  exquisitely  tender 
and  ineffably  sacred  scene,  so  pathetic  in  its  humanity,  so 
thrilling  in  its  divinity,  is  reviewed  in  the  following 
delicate  lines : 

"  Gethsemane.     There  heaviness  oppress'd 
The  Saviour's  heart,  and  there  he  felt  the  need 
Of  near  communion  ;  for  his  gift  of  strength 
Was  wasted  by  the  spirit's  weariness. 
He  left  his  friends,  and  went  a  little  on, 
And  in  the  depth  of  that  hush'd  solitude, 
Alone  with  God,  he  fell  upon  his  face ; 
And  as  his  heart  was  broken  with  the  rush 
Of  his  surpassing  agony  and  death, 
He  gave  his  sorrows  way,  and  in  the  deep 
Prostration  of  his  soul,  breathed  out  the  prayer: 
Father,  if  it  be  possible  with  thee, 
Let  this  cup  pass  from  me. 

Oh,  how  a  word, 
Like  the  forced  drop  before  the  fountain  breaks, 
Stilleth  the  press  of  human  agony ! 
The  Saviour  felt  its  quiet  in  his  soul ; 
And  though  his  strength  was  weakness,  and  the  light 
Which  led  him  on  till  now  was  sorely  dim, 
He  breathed  a  new  submission  :  Not  my  will, 
But  thine  be  done,  my  Father. 
As  he  spake, 
Voices  were  heard  in  heaven,  and  music  stole 
Out  from  the  chambers  of  the  vaulted  sky, 


350  HIS  PASSION 

As  if  the  spheres  were  swept  like  instruments. 
No  brilliant  cloud  was  seen,  but  radiant  wings 
Were  coming  with  a  silvery  rush  to  earth. 
And  as  the  Saviour  rose,  a  glorious  One, 
With  an  illumined  forehead,  and  the  light 
Whose  fountain  is  the  mystery  of  God, 
Encalm'd  within  his  eye,  bow'd  down  to  him, 
And  gave  him  strength. 

Then  with  his  godlike  brow 
Rewritten  of  his  Father's  messenger, 
With  meekness,  whose  divinity  is  more 
Than  power  and  glory,  he  return'd  again 
To  his  disciples,  and  awak'd  their  sleep, 
For  he  that  should  betray  him  was  at  hand." 

When  from  the  supper  room  Judas  went  out  into  the 
night,  he  threaded  the  narrow  streets  unto  the  priestly- 
palace.  Upon  his  report,  Caiaphas,  having  obtained  an 
order  from  the  governor  Pilate,  sent  the  captain  of  the 
Temple  police  to  the  Antonia  for  a  detachment  of  the 
Roman  garrison  to  unite  with  the  police  in  making  the 
arrest.  A  considerable  body  of  soldiers  was  mustered 
under  command  of  a  tribune ;  for  resistance  and  a  riot 
might  occur.  These  preparations  took  time ;  besides  it 
was  well  to  await  midnight,  and  so  avoid  gathering  a 
mob.145 

Then  Judas  led  the  way  to  the  house  of  Mark's  father 
where  the  supper  had  been  held.  Finding  the  company 
all  gone,  he  bethought  himself  of  the  familiar  resort 
Gethsemane,  and  proposed  to  lead  the  bands  thither. 
As  they  were  going,  young  Mark,  awakened  by  this 
nocturnal  visitation,  wrapped  the  linen  sheet  of  his  bed 
about  him,  and  followed. 

Since  they  were  now  about  to  go  out  of  the  city  to 
search  a  secluded  enclosure  this  beclouded  night,  torches 
were  lighted.     These  and  the  noise  of  the  march  at- 


THE  ARREST  35 1 

tracted  many  followers,  so  that  when  the  Roman 
soldiery  armed  with  swords  and  the  Levitical  police 
armed  with  staves  passed  through  the  city  gate,  the  at- 
tendance had  swollen  to  a  multitude. 

Now  he  that  was  betraying  him  had  given  them  a 
token,  saying,  Whomsoever  I  shall  kiss,  that  is  he ;  take 
him,  and  lead  him  away  safely. 

As  the  crowd  came  on,  it  found  Jesus  standing  out- 
side the  garden  gate  with  the  eleven  beside  him.  At 
once  he  asked  those  in  advance : 

"  Whom  seek  ye  ?  " 

"  Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  they  replied. 

Promptly,  not  waiting  on  the  traitor's  signal,  but  im- 
mediately revealing  himself,  he  rejoined : 

"  I  am  he." 

Awed  by  his  majestic  mien,  and  seeing  by  the  glare 
of  the  torches  his  face  streaked  with  blood,  they  were 
smitten  with  superstitious  fears,  and  in  consternation 
went  backward  so  tumultuously  that  many  fell  to  the 
ground.  After  the  momentary  panic  and  confusion,  the 
question  and  answer  were  repeated,  and  Jesus  calmly 
said: 

"  I  told  you  that  I  am  he ;  if  therefore  ye  seek  me,  let 
these  my  companions  go  their  way." 

Judas  who  had  shrunk  back  with  the  others  now  came 
forward  anxious  to  earn  the  purse.  He  put  his  hands  on 
Jesus'  shoulders,  and  saying,  Hail,  Rabbi,  kissed  his 
blood-stained  face,  kissed  him  much,  warmly,  repeatedly. 
It  is  written,  The  kisses  of  an  enemy  are  profuse.  But 
Jesus  said  unto  him  : 

"  Judas,  betrayest  thou  the  Son  of  man  with  a  kiss  ?  " 

To  illustrate  the  significance  of  this  saying,  let 
emphasis  be  put  on  each  term  in  succession,  thus : 


352  HIS  PASSION 

Betrayest  thou, — makes  the  reproach  turn  on  the  infamy  of  treachery. 
Betrayest  thou, — rests  it  on  the  connection  of  Judas  with  his  Master. 
Betrayest  thou  the  Son  of  man, — rests  it  on  the  Saviour's  character. 
Betrayest  thou  the  Son  of  man  with  a  kiss  ! — turns  it  upon  his  prostitu- 
tion of  the  sign  of  love  and  peace  to  one  of  hate  and  ruin. 

The  kissing  of  Judas !  The  world  is  agreed  that 
nothing  in  the  history  of  mankind  is  so  vile. 

Jesus,  to  convict  him  completely,  immediately  added : 

"  Comrade,  for  that  thou  art  here." 

The  kiss  was  evidently  devised  to  mask  his  purpose 
from  the  Master  and  the  eleven.  The  mask  was  torn  off 
by  the  words,  Betrayest  thou,  etc.,  and  the  intent  laid 
bare  by,  For  that  (the  betrayal  kiss)  thou  art  here. 

As  Judas  drew  back,  a  servant  of  the  high  priest 
named  Malchus,  handed  him  privately  a  purse.  This 
Judas  seized,  then  slipped  away,  and  disappeared  in  the 
night.  But  Peter  had  caught  sight  of  the  transaction, 
and  his  indignation  breaking  bounds,  he  drew  his 
borrowed  sword,  and  with  a  deadly  stroke  at  Malchus, 
cut  off  his  right  ear.     Then  said  Jesus  unto  Peter : 

"  Put  up  the  sword  into  the  sheath.  The  cup  which 
the  Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ?  " 

To  the  others  he  said,  Suffer  ye  thus  far.  And  he 
touched  and  healed  the  ear.  This  was  his  last  miracle  of 
healing. 

Then  they  came  and  laid  hands  on  Jesus  and  took 
him.  Resenting  the  indignity,  he  protested  to  the  of- 
ficers of  the  police  : 

"  Are  ye  come  out,  as  against  a  robber,  with  swords 
and  staves  ?  When  I  was  daily  with  you  in  the  Temple, 
ye  stretched  not  forth  your  hands  against  me.  But  this 
is  your  hour,  and  the  power  of  darkness." 

Satan  was  there,  triumphant. 


THE  ARREST  353 

And  they  bound  him,  him  who  had  never  struck  a 
blow.  Then  all  the  disciples  forsook  him,  and  fled. 
The  lad,  Mark,  lingered  ;  but  some  one  seizing  hold  on 
his  linen  sheet,  he  left  it,  and  fled  naked. 

They  brought  Jesus,  bound  and  deserted,  up  into  the 
city.     But  Peter  followed  him  afar  off. 


XXIX 

THE  ARRAIGNMENTS 

THE  palace  of  the  high  priests,  opposite  the  west 
side  of  the  Temple,  consisted  of  a  paved  court 
open  to  the  sky,  surrounded  by  a  colonnade, 
beyond  which  stood  on  all  sides  the  building  containing 
the  apartments  for  residents.  The  principal  entrance  was 
by  a  large  gateway  opening  into  an  arched  passage, 
called  the  porch,  leading  through  the  building  into  the 
open  court.  It  was  in  this  court  that  the  caucus  of  San- 
hedrists  was  held  on  Tuesday  evening. 

The  police  led  Jesus  through  the  porch  and  court  into 
the  apartments  of  Annas.  The  Roman  soldiery  at- 
tended as  far  as  the  gate,  and  the  service  being  no  longer 
requisite,  returned  thence  to  barracks  in  the  Antonia. 
Now  John,  as  well  as  Peter,  had  followed,  and  he  being 
in  some  way  favorably  known  to  the  high  priest,  was  ad- 
mitted and  entered  into  the  court,  but  Peter  was  debarred 
and  stood  without.  Then  John  went  back  and  spake  to 
the  maid  that  kept  the  door,  brought  in  Peter,  left  him 
in  the  court,  and  went  in  where  Jesus  was. 

The  servants  of  the  house  having  made  a  fire  of  coals 
in  a  brazier  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  court,  they  and 
the  policemen  stood  and  sat  around  it  warming  them- 
selves, for  the  night  was  cold.  Peter  joined  them.  The 
maid  that  kept  the  door  came  also,  and  looking  stead- 
fastly on  Peter  by  the  light  of  the  fire,  said,  Thou  also 

354 


THE  ARRAIGNMENTS  355 

wast  with  the  Nazarene.  But  Peter  denied  before  them 
all,  saying  : 

"  Woman,  I  knew  him  not." 

Restless  and  uneasy  he  returned  to  the  porch,  and 
lingered  in  its  shadow  awhile. 

Meantime  Jesus  was  arraigned  before  Annas,  high 
priest  de  jure,  for  examination.  This  senile  and  crafty 
miser  was  so  eager  to  prosecute  the  disturber  of  his 
temple  traffic,  that  he  had  waited  and  was  alert  to  judge 
him  in  these  cold  hours  between  midnight  and  dawn. 
John  was  present,  and  he  alone  records  the  interview. 
Annas  asked  Jesus  of  his  disciples  and  of  his  teaching. 
Jesus  would  not  betray  his  disciples ;  of  them  he  said 
nothing.  But  recognizing  the  priestly  authority,  he  re- 
plied concerning  his  teaching,  yet  in  a  manner  not  at  all 
apologetic,  saying : 

"  I  have  spoken  openly  to  the  world  ;  I  ever  taught  in 
the  synagogues,  and  in  the  Temple,  when  all  the  Jews 
came  together ;  and  in  secret  I  spake  nothing.  Why 
askest  thou  me  ?  Ask  them  that  have  heard  me,  what  I 
spake  unto  them.  Behold,  these  know  the  things  which 
I  said."146 

Then  the  police  officer,  who  was  holding  by  the  cord 
which  bound  him,  slapped  Jesus  on  the  mouth,  saying  : 
"  Answerest  thou  the  High  Priest  so  ?  " 
To  this  dastardly  act  and  insult,  Jesus  replied  indig- 
nantly : 

"  If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness  of  the  evil ;  but 
if  well,  why  smitest  thou  me  ?  " 

Then  Annas  sent  him,  bound  as  he  was,  to  Caiaphas, 
whose  apartments  were  on  the  other  side  of  the  court. 
Soon  after  Jesus  had  been  led  across  the  court,  Peter 


356  HIS  PASSION 

returned  from  under  the  porch,  and  again  joined  the 
group  around  the  fire.  There  another  servant  girl 
noticed  him,  and  said  to  them  that  stood  by,  This  man 
also  was  with  Jesus  the  Nazarene.  And  again  Peter  de- 
nied, saying  with  an  oath  : 
"  I  know  not  the  man." 

Jesus  was  now  arraigned  before  Caiaphas,  high  priest 
de  facto,  for  examination.  Certain  zealous  scribes  and 
elders,  councillors,  were  present,  constituting  an  informal 
court  of  inquiry.  Now  the  chief  priests  and  councillors 
had  wickedly  suborned  false  witnesses  against  Jesus  that 
they  might  put  him  to  death  ;  but  their  witnesses  agreed 
not  together.  Afterwards  came  two  who  testified,  say- 
ing, We  heard  him  say,  I  will  destroy  the  Sanctuary,  and 
rebuild  it  in  three  days.  Obviously  this  had  reference  to 
what  Jesus  had  said  three  years  before  in  the  Temple  at 
his  first  Passover.  But  the  statements  were  purposely 
garbled  ;  and  moreover  they  also  did  not  agree.  Finally 
Caiaphas  stood  up,  and  said  to  Jesus,  Answerest  thou 
nothing  to  what  these  witness  against  thee  ?  But  Jesus 
held  his  peace,  and  answered  nothing.  Then  Caiaphas 
formally  administered  the  test  oath,  saying  : 

"  I  adjure  thee  by  the  living  God,  that  thou  tell  us 
whether  thou  be  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God."  w 

And  Jesus,  recognizing  his  official  authority  re- 
plied : 

"  I  am.  Thou  hast  said.  And  from  henceforth  shall 
the  Son  of  man  be  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  power,  and 
ye  shall  see  him  coming  on  the  clouds  of  heaven." 

Then  Caiaphas,  affecting  holy  horror,  rent  his  gar- 
ments, saying  : 

"  He   hath   spoken    blasphemy.     What   further  need 


THE  ARRAIGNMENTS  357 

have  we  of  witnesses.  Ye  have  heard  the  blasphemy. 
What  think  ye  ?  " 

Unanimously  they  condemned  him  to  be  worthy  of 
death. 

Then  did  they  spit  in  his  face,  his  blood  stained  face ; 
and  pinioned  as  he  was,  they  did  secretly  buffet  him, 
saying,  Prophesy,  thou  Christ;  who  is  he  that  struck 
thee  ?  And  the  menial  policemen,  who  had  him  in  hold, 
imitated  their  betters,  and  made  a  frolic  of  it,  mocking 
him,  and  reviling  him,  and  blindfolding  him,  and  beating 
him  with  rods,  saying,  Prophesy  ;  who  is  he  that  struck 
thee  ?     But  Jesus  was  dumb. 

Thus  was  he  mocked  as  Prophet. 

While  this  was  going  on,  sometime  after  Peter's 
second  denial,  one  of  the  servants  of  the  high  priest,  a 
kinsman  of  Malchus  whose  ear  Peter  had  cut  off,  observ- 
ing him  by  the  fire  in  the  court,  confidently  affirmed, 
saying,  Of  a  truth  thou  also  art  one  of  them  ;  for  thou 
art  a  Galilean,  thy  manner  of  speech  bewray eth  thee ; 
did  I  not  see  thee  in  the  garden  with  him  ?  Then  Peter 
began  to  curse  and  to  swear,  saying  : 

"  I  know  not  the  man  of  whom  thou  speakest."  m 

And  immediately,  while  he  yet  spake,  the  cock  crew. 

Now  Jesus  was  where  he  could  see  and  be  seen  of 
Peter,  and  when  the  cock  crew,  he  turned  and  looked 
upon  Peter.  And  Peter  remembered,  and  he  went  out 
of  the  palace,  into  the  night  and  wept  bitterly. 

Day  was  now  dawning.  A  session  of  the  Sanhedrin 
was  called  to  take  place  immediately,  before  sunrise. 
This  was  the  earliest  possible  moment,  for  the  law  did  not 
allow  night  sessions.     The  Sanhedrin  assembled  in  its 


358  HIS  PASSION 

hall  Gazith  near  the  Sanctuary  in  the  Temple.  Thither 
Jesus  was  taken  by  the  police,  was  unbound,  and  brought 
into  court.  He  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  semicircle, 
just  where  he  had  stood  two  years  before  at  his  second 
Passover,  when  he  defied  and  overawed  his  judges.  On 
this  second  occasion  we  may  believe  that  Nicodemus  and 
Joseph  of  Arimathea  were  not  present ;  but  the  sneering 
Annas  and  the  haughty  Caiaphas  were  in  their  official 
seats,  flanked  on  right  and  left  by  a  quorum  of  the  seventy 
elders.  Before  them  Jesus  was  arraigned  for  final  judg- 
ment in  legal  form.149 

The  procedure  was  summary,  for  time  pressed,  and  the 
case  was  prejudged.  The  questions  and  answers  were 
quite  similar  to  those  passed  in  the  prior  informal  inquisi- 
tion of  Caiaphas,  and  Jesus  was  promptly  and  formally 
condemned  as  worthy  of  death.  The  court  then  ad- 
journed, and  Jesus,  bound  again,  and  followed  by  the 
whole  company  of  them,  was  led  away.  This  was  nearly 
the  last,  perhaps  strictly  the  last  meeting  of  the  Sanhe- 
drin  in  the  hall  Gazith,  for  just  about  this  time  its  sessions 
were  transferred  to  the  bazaars. 

While  the  Sanhedrists  were  filing  out  from  the  hall, 
Judas  the  traitor,  who  had  been  lurking  around  and  now 
saw  Jesus  led  away  sentenced,  being  smitten  with  re- 
morse, rushed  in  among  them  with  the  cry  : 

"  I  have  sinned  in  that  I  betrayed  innocent  blood."180 
"  What  is  that  to  us,"  said  they ;  "  see  thou  to  it." 
He  offered  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  to  them,  saying, 
Take  back.  They  refused.  Then  he  cast  the  monies 
down  upon  the  floor  of  the  Sanctuary,  and  ran  out  of  the 
Temple  by  the  tunnel  to  the  southern  gateway,  ran 
through  Ophel  and  out  the  city-gate,  passed  the  pool  of 


THE  ARRAIGNMENTS  359 

Siloam,  crossed  the  ravine,  climbed  the  hill  beyond 
to  a  worn  out  potter's  field,  and  there  hanged  him- 
self. 

The  Sanhedrists  gathered  up  the  pieces  of  silver,  and 
gave  them  to  the  chief  priests,  who  said,  It  is  not  lawful 
to  put  them  into  the  sacred  treasury,  since  it  is  the  price 
of  blood.  Ultimately  they  bought  with  them  the  potter's 
field  to  bury  strangers  in,  which  was  thenceforth  called 
Akeldama,  or  The  field  of  blood. 

The  foregoing  three  sacerdotal  arraignments  or  trials 
were  followed  by  three  secular  arraignments  of  Jesus. 
Of  these  the  first  and  third  were  before  Pilate,  the  Roman 
governor. 

Pontius  Pilate,  the  sixth  procurator  of  Judea,  was  ap- 
pointed by  Vitellius,  Roman  prefect  of  Syria,  in  a.  d.  26, 
and  was  deposed  by  him  in  a.  d.  37.  His  term  of  office 
therefore  coincided  with  that  of  Caiaphas,  and  included 
the  three  years  of  the  public  life  of  Jesus.  It  is  probable 
that  Pilate  was  a  freedman.  Certainly  he  resembled  the 
freedman  Felix,  one  of  his  successors  in  office,  of  whom 
Tacitus  says  :  He  exercised  royal  authority  with  the 
disposition  of  a  slave  in  all  cruelty  and  lust.  We  learn 
from  Philo  that  Pilate  was  inflexible,  and  merciless  ;  and 
from  Josephus,  who  records  a  number  of  his  deeds,  that 
he  acted  ruthlessly,  and  in  violent  disregard  of  Jewish 
customs.  In  the  gospel  story  he  is  a  personage  of  one 
day  only.  The  deed  of  this  day  is  told  in  a  few  words  by 
Tacitus  also  (Annals,  1 5  :  44)  thus  :  Christus,  Tiberio  im- 
peritante,  per  procuratorem  Pontium  Pilatum  supplicio 
adfectus  erat.  Seven  years  afterwards  he  was  deposed, 
and  sent  to  Rome  to  answer  complaints.  He  arrived  just 
after  the  death  of  Tiberius,  but  was  heard  by  Caligula, 


360  HIS  PASSION 

and  banished  to  Vienne  in  Gaul,  where,  tradition  says,  he 
committed  suicide. 

Throughout  his  ten  years'  rule  of  the  Roman  province 
of  Judea,  which  included  Samaria,  Pilate's  residence  was 
Caesarea.  But  it  was  his  custom  to  attend  the  Passovers 
at  Jerusalem  accompanied  by  an  extra  military  force  to 
maintain  order.  During  this  sojourn  he  occupied  the 
palace  of  Herod  the  Great  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
upper  city,  or  Zion.  The  palace  or  pra^torium  had  the 
usual  wholly  enclosed  inner  court,  and  also  an  outer  court, 
with  colonnades  on  three  sides,  the  fourth  being  open,  look- 
ing towards  the  city.  This  court  had  a  tessellated  pave- 
ment, gabbatJia,  whereon  public  trials  were  held  before  the 
judgment  seat,  bema,  placed  at  the  head  of  the  court  be- 
tween two  columns  ;  a  Roman  tribunal. 

It  was  about  sunrise  of  that  great  day,  Good  Friday, 
April  7th,  a.  d.  30,  when  the  officers  led  Jesus,  followed 
by  the  chief  priests  and  elders  of  the  Sanhedrin,  from  the 
Temple,  across  the  city,  to  the  praetorium,  there  to  be 
arraigned  before  the  procurator.  For  the  Roman  had 
forbidden  the  Jewish  authorities  to  execute  a  sentence  of 
death,  but  required  them  to  deliver  the  condemned 
prisoner  to  the  procurator,  that  he  might  revise  the 
case,  and  himself  execute  his  final  judgment,  yea  or 
nay.151 

On  reaching  the  palace,  Jesus  was  taken  into  the  inner 
court,  but  the  scrupulous  Sanhedrists  would  not  enter  lest 
they  should  be  defiled.  Holy  men  !  They  stopped  in 
the  outer  court,  and  Pilate,  who  was  expecting  this  call, 
because  of  the  requisition  made  on  him  the  previous  even- 
ing for  a  guard,  went  out  unto  them  and  asked : 

-  iVhat  accusation  bring  ye  against  this  man  ?  " 


THE  ARRAIGNMENTS  361 

"  If  he  were  not  an  evil-doer,"  said  they,  "  we  should 
not  have  delivered  him  up  unto  thee." 

This  peevish  evasion  displeased  Pilate  who  rejoined : 
"  Take  him  yourselves,  and  judge  him  according  to 

your  law." 

Evidently  he  did  not  know  how  diligent  they  had  been. 
"  Already  we  have  judged  him  worthy  of  death.     But 
it  is  not  lawful,"  they  grumbled,  «  for  us  to  put  any  man 
to  death." 

Then  Pilate  insisted  on  an  accusation ;  for  the  Roman 
law  held  :  Nocens,  nisi  accusatus  fuerit,  condeimiari  non 
potest.  So  they  then  accused  him  in  three  counts,  saying : 
«  We  found  this  man  perverting  our  nation ;  and  for- 
bidding to  give  tribute  to  Caesar ;  and  claiming  himself  to 
be  anointed  king." 

This  was  not  at  all  the  accusation  on  which  he  had 
been  condemned.  That  was  blasphemy.  They  surrepti- 
tiously changed  ground,  and  now  charge  him  with  sedi- 
tion, rebellion,  and  treason.  This  last  struck  Pilate.  So 
he  retired  into  the  palace,  and  called  Jesus,  and  said  unto 
him  privately : 

"  Art  thou  the  king  of  the  Jews  ?  " 
"  Sayest  thou  this  of  thyself,"  asked  Jesus,  " or  did 
others  tell  it  thee  concerning  me?  " 

"Am  I  a  Jew?"  he  cried  indignantly.  "  Thine  own 
nation  and  the  chief  priests  delivered  thee  unto  me ;  what 
hast  thou  done  ?  " 

"  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,"  said  Jesus. 
"  Thou  art  a  king  then  ?  " 

"  Thou  sayest  it,  for  I  am  a  king.  To  this  end  am  I 
come  into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear  witness  unto  the 
truth." 

"  What  is  truth  ?  "  asked  scoffing  Pilate,  but  did  not 


362  HIS  PASSION 

stay  for  an  answer.     Had  he  done  so,  and  had  one  been 
given,  it  doubtless  would  have  been : 

"  I  am  the  truth." 

In  the  words  and  bearing  of  Pilate  throughout  are 
mingled  contempt  and  cynicism  with  superstitious  awe. 
He  was  a  typical  Roman,  and  the  Romans  of  that  time 
were  profound  skeptics.  The  Greeks  used  the  question, 
What  is  truth,  to  perplex  pretenders  ;  the  Romans  asked 
it  in  scorn,  as  a  first  yet  unanswerable  question.  In  this 
private  interview  are  opposed  ad  extrema  two  representa- 
tive men,  the  one  of  the  kingdom  of  the  world,  the  other 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  one  who  denied  the  reality  of 
truth,  and  one  who  claimed,  I  am  the  truth.  In  what 
sense  is  Christ  the  truth  ?  Is  it  not  strict  identity  ?  For 
he  is  not  merely  its  witness  ;  but,  in  the  last  analysis, 
all  truth  radiates  from  him,  and  he  is  the  centre  in  whom 
all  truth  ultimately  terminates ;  he  is  the  Alpha  and  the 
Omega ;  he  is  himself  the  Logos,  the  informing  word, 
not  of  Theology  only,  but  of  all  true  science,  secular  and 
sacred. 

Then  Pilate,  leading  Jesus  forth,  went  out  again  to  the 
Sanhedrists,  and  said  unto  them  : 

"  I  find  no  fault  in  this  man." 

At  this  they  clamorously  accused  him  of  many  things  ; 
but  Jesus  made  no  answer.     Therefore  Pilate  said : 

"  Hearest  thou  not  how  many  things  they  witness 
against  thee  ?  " 

And  to  him  Jesus  gave  no  answer,  not  even  one  word  ; 
insomuch  that  he  marvelled.  But  the  adversaries  became 
more  urgent,  saying,  He  stirreth  up  the  people  beginning 
from  Galilee  even  unto  this  place.  Then  Pilate  asked 
whether  the  man  were  a  Galilean.  And  when  he  heard 
that  he  was,  and  therefore  of  Herod's  jurisdiction,  he 


THE  ARRAIGNMENTS  363 

commanded  that  he  be  taken  to  Herod,  glad  to  be  rid  of 
a  difficult  and  pressing  case  with  a  show  of  respect  for 
official  authority. 

Once  more  Herod  Antipas  appears  in  the  story.  Though 
of  foreign  lineage,  his  father  being  an  Idumean  and  his 
mother  a  Samaritan,  and  while  fawningly  subservient  to 
Rome,  he  sought  to  affiliate  with  the  Jews  and  conciliate 
Jewish  prejudices,  professing  himself  a  Sadducee,  and 
affecting  patriotic  zeal  for  national  customs.  Hence  he 
pompously  attended  the  national  feasts,  and  was  present 
on  this  occasion,  occupying  as  usual  the  old  Asmonean 
palace  of  the  Maccabees,  situate  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
east  of  the  praetorium  of  Pilate,  at  the  west  end  of  the 
bridge  from  the  Temple  over  the  Tyropoeon  valley. 

Thither  Jesus  was  led  in  bonds,  followed  by  his  adver- 
saries, to  be  arraigned  before  Herod  the  fox,  there  to  face 
for  the  first  time  the  murderer  of  John.  The  tetrarch  was 
exceeding  glad,  for  he  had  long  wanted  to  see  the  famous 
Nazarene,  judging  him  to  be  a  highly  skilled  magician 
and  theurgist,  and  hoping  to  see  some  miracle  done  by 
him.  So  he  questioned  him  in  many  words ;  but  Jesus 
disdained  to  answer  a  single  word,  though  the  chief 
priests  and  scribes  stood  vehemently  accusing  him.  Then 
Antipas  with  his  courtiers  set  Jesus  at  nought,  arrayed 
him  in  gorgeous  priestly  apparel,  perhaps  some  of 
the  old  robes  left  in  the  palace  by  the  sacerdotal  Mac- 
cabees, made  mock  of  him,  and  sent  him  back  to  the  pro- 
curator.152 

Thus  was  he  mocked  as  High  Priest. 

For  some  time  Herod  and  Pilate  had  been  at  enmity, 
it  may  be  because  of  the  murder  of  certain  Galileans 
whose  blood  Pilate  had  mingled  with   their  sacrifices. 


364  HIS  PASSION 

But  on  this  occasion  the  flattering  condescension  of  the 
one,  and  the  responsive  deference  of  the  other,  at  once 
reconciled  them,  and  now  they  became  friends.  Hence- 
forth in  their  intercourse  it  was  Brother  Herod,  and 
Brother  Pilate.  What  dark  figures  loom  up  in  the  pic- 
ture !  Judas,  the  treacherous  apostle;  then  the  hypocrit- 
ical priestly  pair,  Annas  and  Caiaphas ;  now  the  unscru- 
pulous royal  pair,  Herod  and  Pilate.  The  psalmist  seer, 
looking  through  a  thousand  years,  perhaps  had  these  in 
view  when  he  gave  the  satirical  warning : 

"  Be  wise  now  therefore,  O  ye  kings ; 
Be  instructed,  ye  judges  of  the  earth. 
Serve  the  Lord  with  fear, 
And  rejoice  with  trembling. 
Kiss  the  Son, 
Lest  he  be  angry, 
And  ye  perish  by  the  way, 
For  his  wrath  will  soon  be  kindled. 
Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in  him." 

It  was  probably  after  seven  o'clock  that  morning  when 
Jesus  was  again  arraigned  before  Pilate. 153 

On  the  return  through  the  streets,  a  multitude  gath- 
ered, and  now  the  outer  court  of  the  prsetorium  was 
crowded.  Pilate  called  together  the  chief  priests  and 
the  rulers  of  the  people,  and  taking  his  official  seat  on 
the  bema,  the  judgment  seat,  said  unto  them : 

"  Ye  brought  unto  me  this  man,  as  one  that  perverteth 
the  people,  and  I,  having  examined  him  before  you  found 
no  fault  in  him ;  no,  nor  yet  Herod,  for  he  has  sent  him 
back  unto  me.  Behold,  nothing  worthy  of  death  hath 
been  done  by  him.  I  will  therefore  chastise  him  and 
release  him.  For  ye  have  a  custom,  that  I  should  release 
unto  you  one  at  the  Passover.     Will  ye  therefore  that  I 


THE  ARRAIGNMENTS  365 

release  unto  you  Barabbas  the  criminal,  or  Jesus  the  King 
of  the  Jews  ?  " 

While  the  priests  and  the  people  were  consulting 
about  this  proposal,  Pilate,  still  sitting  on  the  bema,  re- 
ceived a  whispered  message  from  his  wife,  Claudia  Pro- 
cula,  who  had  come  with  him  to  the  Passover,  she  being 
a  Jewish  proselyte.  Doubtless  she  had  heard  of  the 
requisition  of  the  previous  evening  for  a  guard  to  protect 
the  arrest  of  the  Nazarene;  and  her  message  to  her 
husband  was : 

"  Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that  just  man ;  for  I 
have  suffered  much  this  day  in  a  dream  because  of 
him." 

Her  designation  of  the  Nazarene  as,  that  just  man,  sug- 
gests the  reason  for  forbearance ;  and  it  recalls  to  mind 
the  unconscious  prophecy  of  Plato,  cited  in  the  intro- 
ductory chapter,  about  the  fate  of  the  just  man,  should 
one  appear.  The  message  increased  Pilate's  awe  of  the 
mysterious  man. 

Now  Pilate  knew  that  for  envy  the  chief  priests  had 
delivered  him  up,  and  hence  sought  to  release  him,  in 
compliance  with  the  custom.  But  the  chief  priests  and 
elders  stirred  up  the  multitude  that  they  should  ask  for 
Barabbas,  and  destroy  Jesus.  So  they  cried  out  all  to- 
gether saying : 

"  Away  with  this  man ;  release  unto  us  Barabbas."  1M 

Now  Barabbas  was  a  notable  prisoner  condemned  to 
capital  punishment  for  insurrection,  robbery  and  murder. 
Pilate  had  proposed  so  notorious  and  atrocious  a  crim- 
inal, believing  that  the  Jews  would  surely  not  prefer 
him,  but  would  rather  choose  Jesus  for  release.  But  this 
anti-Christ  was  a  political  insurgent,  a  patriot  brigand, 
and  so  found  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  Jews.     It  is  re- 


366  HIS  PASSION 

markable  that  his  Aramaic  name  means  a  son  of  the 
father,  contrasting  with  the  Son  of  the  Father.  It  may 
indicate  the  son  of  a  Rabbi,  which  also  would  help  to 
explain  why  they  asked  for  him,  rather  than  for  one  of 
the  two  thieves  also  awaiting  crucifixion.  By  an  ancient 
text,  his  praenomen  is  Jesus ;  in  full,  Jesus  Barabbas. 
The  striking  coincidence  has,  however,  no  significance. 
It  is  enough  that  the  Jews  denied  the  holy  and  righteous 
one,  asked  a  destroyer  of  life  to  be  granted  unto  them, 
and  killed  the  author  of  life. 

For  Pilate  replied  to  their  clamor : 

"  What  then  shall  I  do  unto  Jesus,  whom  ye  call  King 
of  the  Jews  ?  " 

They  all  cried : 

"  Let  him  be  crucified." 

Then  he  said  unto  them  the  third  time : 

"  Why,  what  evil  hath  he  done  ?  I  have  found  no 
cause  of  death  in  him.  I  will  therefore  chastise  him,  and 
release  him." 

But  they  cried  out  exceedingly,  saying : 

"  Let  him  be  crucified." 

Unwilling  to  pass  this  extreme  judgment  on  one  whom 
he  believed  and  had  declared  to  be  innocent,  restrained 
by  his  Roman  sense  of  legal  justice,  crude  yet  strong, 
Pilate  resorted  to  the  medium  course  twice  proposed, 
hoping  thereby  to  satisfy  the  malignity  and  excite  the 
pity  of  the  adversaries.  Accordingly  he  took  Jesus 
under  guard  into  the  inner  court,  where  the  whole  band 
of  his  soldiers  were  assembled,  and  gave  order  that  he 
be  scourged. 155 

A  bundle  of  rods,  faces,  with  or  without  an  axe, 
securis,  is  the  well  known  symbol  of  Roman  dominion  in 


THE  ARRAIGNMENTS  367 

the  means  of  enforcing  it.  The  faces  was  borne  by- 
officers,  UctorSy  before  magistrates,  partly  as  a  sign  of 
authority,  and  partly  for  executing  their  judgments.  A 
Roman  scourging  with  rods,  usually  flexible  vine 
branches,  was  a  very  severe  infliction.  The  victim 
stripped  and  bound  to  a  post,  received  stripes,  not 
limited  to  forty,  as  in  the  merciful  Mosaic  code,  but  as 
many  as  he  could  apparently  endure  and  yet  live,  though 
indeed  death  frequently  occurred  under  the  excoriating 
lashes. 

To  such  scourging  our  Lord  was  subjected.  He  suf- 
fered the  torture  and  the  gross  injustice  without  one  word 
of  remonstrance. 

Then  the  soldiers  unbound  him  faint  and  bleeding,  and 
clothed  him  in  a  robe  of  royal  purple ;  also  they  plaited 
a  crown  of  thorns  and  put  it  on  his  head ;  also  they  put 
a  reed  for  a  sceptre  in  his  right  hand.  Then  they 
kneeled  down  before  him  in  mock  homage,  saying : 

"  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews  ! " 

And  then  they  smote  him  with  their  hands ;  and  they 
spat  upon  him ;  and  they  took  the  reed  from  his  hand 
and  smote  him  on  the  head. 

Thus  was  he  mocked  as  King. 

His  order  having  been  fulfilled,  Pilate  went  out  again, 
and  said  to  the  adversaries  : 

"  Behold,  I  bring  him  out  to  you,  that  ye  may  know  I 
find  no  crime  in  him." 

Jesus  therefore  came  out,  wearing  the  crown  of  thorns 
and  the  purple  robe.     And  Pilate  said  unto  them : 

"Ecce,  Homo — Behold,  the  Man."  156 

When  the  chief  priests  and  officers  saw  him,  they 
cried : 


368  HIS  PASSION 

"  Crucify,  crucify ! " 

"  Take  him  yourselves,  and  crucify  him,"  said  Pilate, 
tauntingly,  "  for  I  find  no  crime  in  him." 

"  We  have  a  law,"  said  they,  "  and  by  that  law  he 
ought  to  die,  because  he  made  himself  the  Son  of  God." 

When  Pilate  heard  this,  he  was  filled  with  superstitious 
dread,  and  mindful  perhaps  of  his  wife's  dream,  took 
Jesus  again  into  the  palace  for  a  second  private  inter- 
view, and  in  awe  asked  : 

"  Whence  art  thou  ?  " 

But  Jesus  gave  him  no  answer.     Then  said  he: 

"  Speakest  thou  not  unto  me  ?  Knowest  thou  not 
that  I  have  authority  to  release  thee,  or  to  crucify 
thee  ?  " 

Jesus,  though  suffering  from  the  recent  torture  inflicted 
by  Pilate's  order,  was  willing  to  find  some  slight  pallia- 
tion for  the  horrible  injustice,  and  therefore  spake  his  last 
word  to  Pilate : 

"Thou  wouldst  have  no  authority  or  power  against 
me,  except  it  were  given  thee  from  above;  therefore  he 
that  delivered  me  unto  thee  hath  greater  sin." 

Did  he  mean  Judas,  or  Caiaphas  ?     Perhaps  either. 

Upon  this  Pilate  went  out,  and  again  proposed  to  re- 
lease him.     But  the  Jews  cried  out : 

"  If  thou  release  this  man,  thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend ; 
every  one  that  maketh  himself  a  king,  opposeth  Caesar." 

This  was  more  than  timorous  Pilate  could  resist.  He 
thought  of  Tiberius  at  Capreae,  of  Sejanus  at  Rome,  of 
Vitellius  at  Antioch,  and  of  the  precarious  tenure  by 
which  he  held  his  place.  So,  more  courtier  than  judge, 
exercising  royal  authority  with  the  disposition  of  a  slave, 
he  brought  Jesus  out,  took  his  seat  upon  the  bema  before 


THE  ARRAIGNMENTS  369 

the  tessellated  pavement,  and  said  contemptuously  to  the 
Jews: 

"  Behold,  your  King." 

"  Away,  away  with  him.     Crucify  him." 

"  Shall  I  crucify  your  King  ?  " 

The  chief  priests  answered : 

"  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar." 

So  when  Pilate  saw  that  he  prevailed  nothing,  but 
rather  that  a  tumult  was  rising,  he  called  for  water  in  a 
bason,  and  washed  his  hands  before  them  all,  saying : 

"  I  am  innocent  of  the  blood  of  this  just  man  ;  see  ye 
to  it." 

And  all  the  people  answered  and  said  : 

"  His  blood  be  on  us,  and  on  our  children." 

Then  Pilate,  despite  his  fivefold  exculpation,  gave  offi- 
cial sentence  that  what  they  asked  for  should  be  done. 
And  he  released  unto  them  Barabbas,  who  for  insurrec- 
tion and  murder  had  been  cast  into  prison,  but  Jesus  he 
delivered  up  to  their  will. 157 

A  Roman  centurion  with  a  detachment  of  the  soldiers 
was  commissioned  to  execute  the  sentence.  They,  after 
they  had  again  mocked  him,  took  off  from  him  the  purple 
robe,  and  put  on  him  his  own  garments,  and  followed  by 
the  triumphant  throng  of  adversaries,  led  him  away  to 
crucify  him. 


XXX 

TJ:  .\TION 

CR  UCIFIXIOl  I     -:.     '    -'  :CU- 

tion.      Even  t  ith  all  his  cruelty 

ar.  Wt  to  it.     It 

seem.  ..an  origin;  it  wa 

by  the  1  time  of  Jul:  and  was 

aboli  vantine.  ailed  in  the  :. 

where  Roman  rule  v.  ;re  and  cruel,  and  its 

were  ingeniously  varied  d  in- 

-.-  the  torture  of  the   victim.  oronour.- 

crude li'.^imum  ttternmumque  suppliciu,,  $164.)    it 

.  .  inflicted  on  a  Roman  citizen,  but  was  a 
.   of  shame,  a.   the  gjaflo 
,   robber      rebels    and    outlaws.     The    succe 
appeal  of  the  Jen  'ian  power  for  the 

crucifixion  of  their  King,  and  the 

on  our  c  ill  hundredfold 

1 

any,  many  tl. 
crucified  that  the  city  wa.  by  a  forest  of  crosses. 

'I  h';  principal  - 
were  crux  commUta  "|~,  Of      I    Anthony  crux 

immi^a,  J^atin  -f-,  Greek  -|-;  and  crux  decussata  y(,  or 
St.  Andrew*!  cross,  at  leen  on  the  Jjibarum  of  Con-.tan- 
tine.  Of  these  the  Latin  cro  o  familiar  to-day,  was 
:  one  used  on  the  present  occasion.  'Ihe 
victir..  I  to  carry  hi.  himself  to 

J70 


THE  KXFXUTION  371 

the  place  of  execution  ;  for  any  other,  even  an  execu- 
tioner, to  handle  it  dishonored  him.  Naked,  he  was 
bound  or  nailed  to  it ;  then  he  was  lifted  up,  his  weight 
being  partly  supported  by  a  wooden  pin,  cornu,  forming 
a  seat,  sedile,  midway  the  upright  beam ;  then  amid  the 
encouraged  jeers  and  mockery  of  lookers-on,  he  was 
watched  until  exposure  and  suffering,  lasting  sometimes 
for  two  or  three  days,  found  relief  in  death.  An  instru- 
ment of  greater  disgrace  and  torture  has  hardly  ever  been 
invented.  The  word  excruciating  marks  intensest  pain. 
Christianity  put  an  end  to  this  hideous  punishment,  and 
die  Cross  has  become  the  symbol  of  civilization  and  of 
progress!  of  peace  and  of  love,  human  and  divine. 

"  <",rux  fi'J<;Ji'>,  U 
Arbor  una  no':.. 
Nulla  la]*  ofed 

i  roade,  flor<;(  getmHae  ; 
Ijuk':  lignum,  dulcet  clavi, 

Dulc:  pOOl  ■!),." 

On  that   Friday  morning,  a  little  before   nine  o'clock, 
from  the  palace  of  Herod,  the  pnetorium   of  Pilate,  Jesus 

forth  bearing  the  CTOSS  for  himself.  He  w; 
tended  by  four  Roman  soldiers  especially  charged  with 
the  execution,  and  perhaps  by  others  as  a  guard  against 
rescue,  or,  what  seemed  more  likely,  mob  violence  on  t lie- 
way,  all  under  command  of  a  centurion  named  Longinus. 
He  was  followed  by  the  hierarchy  and  people  who  had 
clamored  for  his  death.  The  sad  but  mosl  august  pro- 
;  beyond  the  first  wall  into  the  buy  quarter 
Akra.  ]\<:r<:  the  Strength  of  JeSUS  failed,  and  he  sank 
exhausted    under    hi',    heavy    burden.      '1  he    Roman     ,ol- 

,  disdaining  a  service  thai  would  have  honored  and 
ennobled  the  haughtu  ted  one  Simon,  a 


372  HIS  PASSION 

Jew  of  Cyrene,  who  coming  from  the  country  into  the 
city  that  paschal  morning  met  the  procession,  and  com- 
pelled him  to  bear  the  cross  after  Jesus.  Him  they 
assisted  to  rise,  and  partly  supporting,  led  onward.158 

As  they  were  passing  along  Via  Dolorosa  the  crowd  of 
followers  greatly  increased.  Among  them  were  many 
women,  who,  grieved  by  the  piteous  sight,  set  up  loud 
lamentations  and  wailing.    To  them  Jesus  turned,  and  said  : 

"  Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me,  but  weep 
for  yourselves,  and  for  your  children.  For  behold  the 
days  are  coming,  in  which  they  shall  say,  Blessed  are  the 
barren,  and  the  breasts  that  never  gave  suck." 

There  is  an  early  and  pretty  legend,  that  just  then  a 
woman  named  Veronica,  moved  with  compassion,  took 
off  her  linen  kerchief  from  her  head,  and  handed  it  to 
him,  with  which  to  wipe  the  blood  and  sweat  from  his 
face  ;  and  that,  when  he  returned  the  kerchief,  his  like- 
ness had  become  impressed  upon  it.  It  is  added,  that 
some  years  afterwards,  the  emperor  Tiberius  being  sick, 
he  sent  for  Veronica,  touched  the  portrait,  and  was  cured ; 
that  she  bequeathed  the  kerchief  to  Clement,  the  successor 
of  Peter  ;  and  that  the  precious  relic  is  even  yet  in  posses- 
sion of  the  Church. 

The  procession  moved  along  the  Tyropceon  valley 
northward  through  a  gate  in  the  second  wall  into  the 
suburb  Bezetha,  new  town,  not  then  walled  in,  and  reached 
a  place  directly  north  of  the  central  point  of  the  city, 
called  The  Skull,  in  Aramaic  Golgotha,  in  Latin  Cal- 
vary, which  have  the  same  meaning.  No  mount  is  there, 
no  hill,  only  a  slight  knoll  rounded  like  the  upper  part  of 
a  skull.  It  seems  to  have  been  the  common  place  for 
public  executions  ;  for  here,  under  like  guard,  two  robbers 
also  were  brought  to  be  likewise  crucified. 


THE  EXECUTION  373 

It  was  now  nine  o'clock.  The  soldiers  with  their  victims 
took  possession  of  the  rising  ground,  while  the  hierarchy 
and  a  multitude  of  people  stood  around  about  on  the 
lower  level,  eager  to  see  the  execution.  Then  was  offered 
to  Jesus  a  cup  of  wine  mingled  with  myrrh,  an  anesthetic 
to  deaden  pain,  a  stupefying  draught,  provided  for 
sufferers  in  general  by  an  association  of  women  of  Jeru- 
salem.169 

"  Fill  high  the  bowl,  and  spice  it  well,  and  pour 
The  dews  oblivious;  for  the  cross  is  sharp, 
The  cross  is  sharp,  and  he 
Is  tenderer  than  a  lamb." 

But  when  he  had  tasted  it,  and  thus  perceived  what  it 
was,  he  refused  to  drink  it.  Twelve  hours  before  he  had 
said,  I  shall  no  more,  in  this  life,  drink  of  the  fruit  of  the 
vine.  Moreover,  he  would  not  avoid  nor  diminish  any 
of  the  sufferings  in  the  sacrifice  he  was  making  of 
himself. 

"  Thou  wilt  feel  all,  that  thou  may'st  pity  all ; 
And  rather  wouldst  thou  wrestle  with  strong  pain, 
Than  overcloud  thy  soul  in  agony, 
Or  lose  one  glimpse  of  heaven  before  the  time." 

The  cross  was  laid  upon  the  ground.  Jesus  was 
stripped  of  his  garments,  and  required  to  lie  down  upon 
it,  with  his  arms  outstretched  upon  the  cross-beam.  One 
soldier  held  his  hand  in  place,  palm  upward,  while  another 
hammered  a  nail  or  spike  through  it  into  the  wood 
Then  so  with  the  other  hand.  Then  so  with  the  feet. 
Amid  the  sound  of  the  hammering,  the  voice  of  Jesus 
was  heard,  praying : 

"  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do." 


374  HIS  PASSION 

Moral  sublimity  has  no  higher  height. 

This  is  the  first  of  his  seven  sayings  on  the  cross. 

By  the  four  soldiers,  the  upper  part  of  the  cross  with 
its  burden  was  then  lifted  so  that  its  lower  end  slid  and 
dropped  into  the  hole  prepared  for  it,  and  the  beam  was 
then  secured  erect.  The  elevation  was  not  great,  the 
feet  of  the  victim  being  only  about  a  yard  from  the 
ground.  In  like  manner  the  two  robbers,  probably  com- 
rades of  Barrabas,  were  crucified  by  their  guards,  and 
planted  on  either  hand ;  the  cross  of  Jesus,  intended  for 
Barrabas,  being  in  the  midst.     So  there  were  three. 

Thus  was  he  numbered  with  transgressors. 

When  the  procession  was  leaving  the  praetorium, 
Pilate  handed  to  Longinus  the  centurion  a  placard  to  be 
carried  publicly  on  the  way,  and  finally  fastened  to  the 
cross.     Upon  it  he  had  written  in  bold  letters : 

"  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews." 

This  was  intended  as  a  scornful  insult  to  the  Jews, 
retaliating  his  defeat.  The  chief  priests  were  scandalized, 
and  expostulated,  saying,  Write  not  thus,  but  that  he 
said,  I  am  King  of  the  Jews.     Pilate  answered  testily : 

"  What  I  have  written,  I  have  written." 

So  the  placard  was  carried  flauntingly  on  the  way,  and 
fastened  to  the  cross  before  it  was  raised,  just  above  the 
head  of  Jesus.  This  superscription,  titulus  elogium,  was 
threefold,  in  three  languages,  so  that  all  might  read ;  in 
Hebrew  (Aramaic),  in  Greek,  and  in  Latin.  Thus  was 
gathered  up  in  true  title  an  expression  of  the  religious, 
the  intellectual,  and  the  political  culture  of  the  world  in 
its  preparation  for  the  Messiah,  the  Christ,  the  King. 

The  cross  was  no  sooner  reared,  and  the  superscription 
displayed,  than   it  awoke  anew  the  frenzied  hostility  of 


THE  EXECUTION  375 

the  crowd  of  spectators,  who  at  once  broke  out  into 
hideous  jeers  and  revilings.  Even  the  chief  priests  and 
other  Sanhedrists  joined  the  mad  populace  in  scornful 
taunts  and  bitter  sarcasms.  Also  the  soldiers,  his  execu- 
tioners, offered  him  jocosely  a  cup  of  their  sour  wine, 
and  echoed  the  general  cry  whose  burden  was : 
"  If  thou  art  the  King  of  the  Jews,  save  thyself." 
Seven  distinct  forms  of  this  mocking  may  be  counted 
in  the  record.  The  seventh  is  by  one  of  the  crucified 
robbers,  who  said : 

"  Art  thou  not  the  Christ  ?     Save  thyself  and  us." 
But  the  other  robber  rebuking  him  said : 
"  Dost  thou   not  fear  even   God  ?     We  indeed  suffer 
justly ;  but  this  man  hath  done  nothing  amiss." 
Then  with  softened  voice  he  made  petition : 
"  Jesus,   remember    me    when    thou    comest    in    thy 
kingdom." 

To  him  Jesus  replied  promptly,  his  second  saying : 
"  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise." 
During  the  noise  and  confusion  of  the  prolonged 
revilings,  to  which  Jesus  made  no  reply,  his  four  execu- 
tioners busied  themselves  with  dividing  among  them- 
selves his  only  property,  his  garments  which  they  had 
stripped  off.  One  took  his  sandals,  another  his  girdle, 
a  third  his  shawl,  the  fourth  his  head-gear.  There 
remained  only  his  tunic.  It  was  without  seam,  woven 
from  the  top  throughout,  a  priestly  garment.  They 
said,  Let  us  not  rend  it,  but  cast  lots  for  it,  whose 
it  shall  be.  So,  unconsciously  fulfilling  the  prophecy  of 
Psalm  22  :  18,  they  gambled  for  it  at  the  foot  of  the  cross. 
Then  they  sat  and  watched. 

The  loving  and  beloved  John  was  doubtless  present  at 


376  HIS  PASSION 

the  praetorium  during  the  pseudo-trial  there,  and  heaid 
an  hour  ago  the  final  judgment  of  Pilate,  and  saw  his 
Master  and  friend  led  forth  to  be  crucified.  Instead  of 
following,  he  hastened  with  the  sad  news  to  the  disciples 
and  relatives  of  Jesus.  The  women  at  least  were  brave 
enough  to  go  with  him  to  Calvary ;  and  with  him  four 
of  them  made  their  way  through  the  scoffing  throngs, 
and  were  now  standing  by  the  cross  of  Jesus  weeping ; 
his  mother,  her  sister  Salome  the  mother  of  John,  her 
sister-in-law  Mary  the  widow  of  Clopas,  and  Mary 
Magdalene.  Then  was  it  that  the  sword,  predicted  by 
Simeon,  pierced  through  the  Virgin's  soul. 

"  Stabat  Mater  dolorosa, 
Juxta  crucem  lacrymosa, 

Dum  pendebat  filius. 
Cujus  animam  gementem, 
Contristatam  et  dolentem, 

Pertransivit  gladius." 

When  Jesus  therefore  saw  his  mother,  and  the  disciple 
whom  he  loved  standing  by  her,  he  saith  unto  his 
mother : 

"  Woman,  behold,  thy  son  !  " 

Then  saith  he  to  the  disciple : 

"  Behold,  thy  mother  !  " 

And  from  that  hour  the  disciple  took  her  unto  his  own 
home. 

This  was  the  third  saying,  a  provision  for  his  mother, 
a  legacy  of  filial  love.  John  at  once  led  the  sorrowing 
mother  away  from  the  heartrending  scene  to  his  home  in 
the  city,  and  leaving  her  there,  with  such  words  of  con- 
solation as  were  possible,  returned  to  Calvary.  He  alone 
of  the  apostles,  perhaps  of  all  the  disciples,  clung  to  the 
Master  in  those  last  hours  of  his  agony,  and  witnessed 


THE  EXECUTION  377 

the  final  spear-thrust.  The  three  other  women  named 
above  lingered  to  the  end,  beholding  from  afar,  together 
with  many  women  which  had  followed  Jesus  from  Gali- 
lee, ministering  unto  him. 

It  was  noon.  A  preternatural  gloom  hung  over  all  the 
land,  the  sun's  light  failing  for  the  three  remaining  hours. 
And  there  was  silence,  for  the  strange  darkness  quelled 
the  derisive  mockeries.  Jesus  continued  to  suffer  his  ex- 
cruciating pains  without  a  murmur  until  about  three 
o'clock,  when  suddenly  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice : 

"  Eloi,  Eloi,  lama  sabachthani  ?  " 

"  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?  "  I6° 

This  cry  is  the  first  verse  of  the  twenty-second  Psalm, 
spoken  in  Aramaic,  his  mother-tongue.  All  his  intense 
physical  sufferings,  for  six  hours  on  the  bitter  cross  had 
not  extorted  from  him  a  groan,  or  even  a  sigh ;  nor  in- 
deed had  he  uttered  a  word  of  remonstrance,  though  he 
was  the  victim,  not  of  suffering  only,  but  of  what  was 
worse,  injustice.  But  there  was  yet  a  deeper  pain,  the 
hiding  of  his  Father's  face.  This  became  intolerable, 
silence  impossible,  and  the  cry  marks  the  cause  and  the 
culmination  of  his  agony. 

It  is  intimate  in  our  nature  that,  whatever  be  our 
ordinary  mode  of  speech,  yet  when  aroused,  excited,  or 
when  softened  by  pity,  or  sorrowful,  or  deeply  pained, 
we  instinctively  resort  to  our  mother-tongue.  Greek 
was  the  vernacular  of  Palestine  in  our  Lord's  day,  for 
the  street  and  market-place  and  ordinary  society,  while 
Aramaic,  or  late  Hebrew,  was  the  hearth-language  and 
heart-language.  In  three  places  it  is  recorded  that  Jesus 
was  moved  to  use  this  his  mother-tongue.  He  recalled 
the  little  girl  to  life  with  the  tender  yet  mighty  Talitha, 


378  HIS  PASSION 

Kumi.  A  deaf  man  with  broken  speech  was  brought  to 
him  by  loving  friends  beseeching  him.  Jesus,  moved 
with  compassion,  touched  the  ears  and  tongue,  saying, 
Ephphatha.  A  miracle  of  love.  Now  he  is  bleeding  on 
the  cross.  Hours  of  agony  have  stretched  his  vital 
cords  to  breaking.  Body  and  soul  are  alike  lacerated. 
The  woe  of  woes  at  last  rolls  over  him.  God's  face  is 
withdrawn.  Then  in  intensest  anguish,  in  the  supreme 
moment  of  his  sacrifice,  he  cries  to  heaven  in  his  mother- 
tongue. 

Some  of  them  that  stood  there,  when  they  heard  that 
cry,  mistook  its  first  words,  and  said,  Behold,  he  calleth 
Elijah.  But  Jesus,  knowing  that  all  was  now  finished, 
said  faintly : 

"  I  thirst."     The  fifth  saying. 

Then  one  of  the  soldiers  ran  and  filled  a  sponge  with 
the  sour  wine  which  they  had  at  hand  for  their  own 
drinking,  and  putting  it  upon  a  reed  of  hyssop,  three  or 
four  feet  long,  brought  it  to  his  mouth,  saying,  Let  be ; 
let  us  see  whether  Elijah  cometh  to  take  him  down. 
Notwithstanding  this  jibe,  an  echo  of  and  a  fling  at  the 
Jews,  let  us  believe  that  the  act  was  prompted  by  sym- 
pathy ;  for  no  one  knows  so  well  as  a  soldier  the  intoler- 
able thirst  that  assails  a  wounded,  bleeding  and  dying 
man  ;  and  let  us  recognize  it  as  one,  the  only  one,  faint 
spark  of  humanity  in  the  dark  of  this  horrible  cruelty. 

When  Jesus  had  tasted  the  wine  on  the  sponge,  he 
uttered  his  sixth  saying : 
"  It  is  finished." 

The  work  which  had  been  given  him  to  do  was  com- 
plete, the  sacrifice  for  redemption  was  fulfilled.  He  met 
Death  not  as  conquered,  but  as  Conqueror.  He  died 
without  death. 


THE  EXECUTION  379 

"  En  Pessima  !     Non  tu 
Pervenis  ad  Christum,  sed  Christus  pervenit  ad  te, 
Cui  licuit  sine  morte  mori." 

For  immediately  he  cried  again  with  a  loud  voice, 
saying : 

"  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit." 

And  having  said  this,  he  bowed  his  head,  and  yielded 
up  his  spirit. 

The  My  God,  of  his  fourth  saying,  returned  here  into 
the  Father  of  conscious  fellowship. 

"  Love  masters  agony  ;  the  soul  that  seemed 
Forsaken,  feels  her  present  God  again, 
And  in  her  Father's  arms 
Contented  dies  away." 

His  first  recorded  saying,  when  a  boy  in  the  Temple, 
was  of  his  Father ;  the  thought  of  his  Father  dominated 
his  life  ;  in  Gethsemane  last  night  he  cried,  O  my  Father ; 
and  his  final  cry  was  to  his  Father.  The  words  are 
from  Psalm  31:5.  It  has  just  been  remarked  that  the 
human  heart,  in  an  hour  of  anxiety,  of  distress,  or  of 
great  pain,  forgets  all  things  except  those  most  dear  to 
it,  those  which  lie  hidden  in  its  inmost  recesses,  and 
when  wrung  by  some  fierce  and  final  agony,  it  finds  in 
these  its  solace.  Surely  Jesus  loved  the  psalms  ;  he  had 
learned  them  by  heart  when  a  little  boy  at  his  mother's 
knee,  and  now  in  the  supreme  moments  of  his  separation 
and  reconciliation  he  expressed  the  deepest  movements 
of  his  soul  in  the  psalmist's  words,  rather  than  his  own. 
They  have  thus  become  inexpressibly  precious,  and  the 
dying  words  of  many  a  Christian  saint  have  been  those 
with  which  he  breathed  out  his  life. 

As  he  bowed  his  head  and  died,  the  earth  shuddered 


38o  HIS  PASSION 

and  quaked,  rending  the  veil  of  the  Sanctuary  in  twain, 
breaking  asunder  the  rocks  of  the  hills,  and  throwing 
open  the  sepulchres  of  the  dead.  And  the  multitudes 
that  were  looking  on,  feared  exceedingly,  and  many  re- 
turned to  the  city  smiting  their  breasts.  The  moral  uni- 
verse was  inverted.  There  was  grief  in  heaven.  There 
was  joy  in  hell. 

Now  when  the  Roman  centurion,  in  charge  of  the 
execution,  heard  and  saw  these  things,  he  said : 

"  Certainly  this  was  a  just  man.  Truly  he  was  a  son 
of  a  god." 

It  is  needless  to  find  in  this  more  than  the  testimony 
of  a  cultured  heathen.  In  like  vein  Rousseau  wrote, 
Socrates  died  like  a  philosopher,  but  Jesus  Christ  died 
like  a  god.  Hegel  said  the  death  of  Socrates  was  the 
great  tragedy  of  Athens.  True ;  and  the  death  of  Jesus 
was  the  great  tragedy  of  the  World. 

The  spring  day,  Friday,  was  waning.  It  was  now 
after  three  o'clock.  At  six  o'clock,  with  sunset,  a  Jewish 
Sabbath  would  begin.  That  day,  always  holy,  would  be 
especially  holy,  for  it  would  be  the  second  day,  a  high 
day,  of  the  Pascha,  and  for  it  this  preceding  day  was  the 
Preparation.  Therefore  certain  of  the  Jews,  ever  punctil- 
ious for  the  law,  had  been  to  Pilate  at  the  praetorium 
with  the  request  that  an  end  be  made,  so  that  the  bodies 
might  be  taken  down  from  the  crosses  and  buried  before 
sunset,  according  to  their  law,  in  Deuteronomy,  21  :  22, 
23.  Pilate  having  consented,  they  returned  with  orders 
to  that  effect. 

But  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  a  Jew  of  wealth  and  social 
distinction,  a  Sanhedrist  but  a  just  man  who  had  not  con- 
sented to  the  counsel  or  the  deed  of  his  colleagues,  being 


THE  EXECUTION  381 

indeed  a  disciple  of  Jesus  though  secretly  for  fear  of  the 
Jews,  now  went  boldly  in  unto  Pilate,  and  asked  for  the 
body  of  Jesus,  telling  him  that  he  was  already  dead. 
Pilate  marvelled  that  he  had  died  so  early,  and  calling  the 
centurion,  who  had  come  to  make  report,  asked  him  if  it 
were  true.  On  learning  that  it  was,  he  granted  the 
corpse  to  Joseph. 

The  orders  for  the  coup  de  grace  soon  reached  Calvary. 
It  was  usually  preceded  by  the  crurifragium,  or  breaking 
the  legs  by  the  strokes  of  an  iron  crowbar ;  an  increase 
of  punishment  to  make  up  for  its  being  shortened.  The 
death-stroke  that  followed  was  a  sword  or  lance  thrust  or 
a  blow  with  the  crowbar  sub  alas.  Accordingly  the  ex- 
ecutioners broke  the  legs  of  the  two  robbers  ;  but  when 
they  came  to  Jesus,  and  saw  that  he  was  dead  already, 
they  brake  not  his  legs.  So  the  law  of  the  paschal  lamb 
was  fulfilled,  A  bone  of  him  shall  not  be  broken.  But 
to  make  sure  of  death,  one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  spear 
pierced  his  side  sub  alas,  and  straightway  there  came  out 
blood  and  water.  Of  this  John  was  an  eyewitness.  And 
so  it  was  fulfilled,  They  shall  look  on  him  whom  they 
pierced. 

It  has  been  asked,  What  was  the  physical  cause  of  the 
death  of  Christ  ?  It  was  quite  common  that  victims 
lingered  for  days  on  the  cross  ;  but  Jesus,  a  strong,  young 
man,  just  thirty-three  and  a  third  years  old,  died  in  six 
hours.  This  surprised  the  experienced  Pilate.  The  fast- 
ing, the  scourging,  the  nails,  the  exposure,  were  insuf- 
ficient to  account  for  it.  The  flow  of  blood  and  water 
indicates  that  the  lance  pierced  first  a  lung  gorged  with 
blood,  and  then  the  pericardium  filled  with  serum,  and 
thus  the  fluids  appeared  separately.  Certain  competent 
pathologists,  diagnosing  the  case  from  the  record,  have 


Z%2  HIS  PASSION 

concluded  that  this  phenomenon  would  take  place  only 
if  one,  who  was  also  being  crucified,  died  of  heart-rup- 
ture.    Be  it  so  for  us.     Jesus  died  of  a  broken  heart. 

Joseph  of  Arimathea  now  claimed  the  body  of  Jesus, 
and  it  was  accorded  him.  When  returning  from  the 
praetorium  through  the  city,  he  had  bought  a  new  linen 
cloth  ;  this  he  brought  with  him.  Nicodemus,  also  a 
Sanhedrist,  he  who  three  years  ago  came  to  Jesus  by 
night,  joined  Joseph,  bringing  about  a  hundred  pounds 
of  myrrh  and  aloes.  John  too  was  probably  present. 
And  of  the  many  women  who  had  beheld  the  crucifixion 
afar  off,  two  had  lingered  and  now  came  near,  Mary,  the 
widow  of  Clopas  and  mother  of  several  apostles,  and 
Mary  Magdalene.161 

The  cross  with  its  precious  burden  was  lowered  and 
laid  on  the  ground.  The  cruel  nails  were  drawn.  The 
lifeless  body  was  lifted  by  loving  arms  from  the  accursed 
tree,  and  laid  tenderly  upon  the  new  linen  cloth.  Alas 
how  mangled,  and  stained  with  richest  blood  !  The  back 
excoriated  by  the  scourge,  the  hands  torn  by  nails,  the 
feet  torn  by  nails,  the  side  laid  open  by  the  spear,  the 
brow  flecked  by  the  rent  veins  of  its  bloody  sweat,  the 
head  encircled  by  an  aureole  of  scars  the  crown  of  thorns 
had  made.  This  is  his  body,  broken  for  you,  reader,  and 
for  me. 

Loving  hands  strewed  the  spices  lavishly  over  that 
broken  body,  and  then  carefully  wrapped  it  in  the  linen 
cloth,  and  bound  the  head  about  with  a  napkin.  This  em- 
balmment was  temporary  only,  incomplete  and  necessarily 
hasty,  for  the  sun  was  within  an  hour  or  two  of  setting. 

At  a  little  distance,  perhaps  just  beyond  the  highway 
leading  from  the  city  past  Calvary,  was  a  small  garden 


THE  EXECUTION  383 

belonging  to  Joseph.  Its  further  end  was  closed  by  a 
hill  of  rock,  in  which  he  had  caused  to-  be  hewn  a  sepul- 
chre for  himself,  and  wherein  of  course  no  one  had  yet 
been  laid.  To  this  new  tomb  the  three  men  bore  the 
shrouded  corpse,  followed  by  the  two  women  weeping. 
A  funeral  procession,  the  simplest,  yet  the  most  august 
the  world  has  ever  seen.  The  body  was  deposited  in  a 
niche  within  the  vault,  and  the  men  rolled  a  great  stone 
shaped  like  a  huge  mill-stone  and  hewn  for  the  purpose, 
across  the  outer  opening  so  as  to  close  it  completely. 
Thus  he  made  his  grave  with  the  rich  in  his  death.  The 
men  then  departed,  while  the  two  Marys  lingered,  sitting 
over  against  the  sepulchre. 

But  Jesus  was  not  there.     He  was  in  Paradise. 

Soon,  however,  the  Marys  rose  and  hastened  to  the 
city  to  employ  the  remnant  of  the  day  in  preparing 
spices  for  complete  embalming ;  and  when  the  sun  had 
set  and  the  last  Sabbath  of  rest  begun,  they  also  rested 
according  to  the  commandment. 

«•  At  length  the  worst  is  o'er,  and  thou  art  laid 
Deep  in  thy  darksome  bed  ; 
All  still  and  cold  beneath  yon  dreary  stone 

Thy  sacred  form  is  gone  ; 
Around  those  lips  where  power  and  mercy  hung, 

The  dews  of  death  have  clung  ; 
The  dull  earth  o'er  thee  and  thy  foes  around, 
Thou  sleep'st  a  silent  corse,  in  funeral  fetters  wound. 

"  Sleep'st  thou  indeed  ?  or  is  thy  spirit  fled, 
At  large  among  the  dead  ? 
Whether  in  Eden  bowers  thy  welcome  voice 

Wake  Abram  to  rejoice, 
Or  in  some  drearier  scene  thine  eye  controls 

The  thronging  band  of  souls  ; 
That,  as  thy  blood  won  earth,  thine  agony 
Might  set  the  shadowy  realm  from  sin  and  sorrow  free. 


384  HIS  PASSION 

"  Where'er  thou  roam'st,  one  happy  soul,  we  know, 
Seen  at  thy  side  in  wo, 
Waits  on  thy  triumph,  e'en  as  all  the  blest 

With  him  and  thee  shall  rest. 
Each  on  his  cross,  by  thee  we  hang  a  while, 

Watching  thy  patient  smile, 
Till  we  have  learn'd  to  say  :  'Tis  justly  done  ; 
Only  in  glory,  Lord,  thy  sinful  servant  own." 


On  the  morrow,  the  morning  of  the  Sabbath  and  the 
high  day  of  the  Pascha,  Annas  and  Caiaphas,  who  were 
Sadducees,  accompanied  by  certain  Pharisees,  went  to  the 
praetorium,  and  asked  audience  of  Pilate.  It  was  granted, 
and  they  spoke,  saying,  Sir,  we  remember  that  that 
deceiver  said,  while  he  was  yet  alive,  After  three  days  I 
rise  again.  Command  therefore  that  the  sepulchre  be 
made  sure  until  the  third  day,  lest  haply  his  disciples 
come  and  steal  him  away,  and  say  unto  the  people,  He 
is  risen  from  the  dead  ;  for  this  last  error  will  be  worse 
than  the  first.  It  is  highly  probable  that  the  chief 
priests  had  been  told  by  Judas  of  the  promise  of  the 
resurrection  ;  and  they  remembered  it,  though  those  who 
embalmed  his  body  and  the  disciples  generally  seem  to 
have  forgotten  it ;  for  as  yet  they  knew  not  the  Scripture, 
that  he  must  rise  again  from  the  dead.  The  acquiescent 
Pilate  responded : 

"  Ye  shall  have  a  guard  ;  go  your  way  ;  make  it  sure, 
according  to  your  wish." 162 

So  they  went,  attended  by  a  guard  of  five  or  ten  sol- 
diers, who  under  their  direction  put  red  tape  with  seals 
of  wax  to  the  stone  door,  affixing  Pilate's  official  stamp 
on  the  wax,  which  it  would  be  high  crime  to  break. 
Then  the  guard  of  Roman  soldiers  stood  sentinel  be- 
fore  the   closed  tomb,  and  watched  through  that  last 


THE  EXFXUTION  385 

Sabbath    day,   through    the    night,   until    the    morning 
came. 

"  Gladness  be  with  thee,  Helper  of  our  world ! 
I  think  this  is  the  authentic  sign  and  seal 
Of  Godship,  that  it  ever  waxes  glad, 
And  more  glad,  until  gladness  blossoms,  bursts, 
Into  a  rage  to  suffer  for  mankind, 
And  recommence  at  sorrow ;  drops  like  a  seed 
After  the  blossom,  ultimate  of  all. 
Say,  does  the  seed  scorn  the  earth  and  seek  the  sun  ? 
Surely  it  has  no  other  end  and  aim 
Than  to  drop,  once  more  die  into  the  ground, 
Taste  cold  and  darkness  and  oblivion  there ; 
And  thence  rise,  tree-like  grow  through  pain  to  joy, 
More  joy  and  most  joy, — do  man  good  again." 


PART  TENTH 


His  Revival 


XXXI 
THE  RESURRECTION  DAY 

THE  rising  of  Christ  Jesus  from  the  dead  is 
the  greatest  and  most  important  of  miracles, 
being  a  confirmation  of  all  the  wonders  of 
his  supernatural  story.  Beginning  with  his  birth  from 
an  immaculate  virgin  at  Bethlehem  and  ending  with 
the  apocalyptic  revelation  of  himself  at  Patmos,  the 
arch  of  events  has  for  its  key-stone  his  resurrection 
from  the  dead,  without  which  they  fall  away.  Indeed 
without  this,  the  total  of  Christianity  would  disap- 
pear, for  if  Christ  hath  not  been  raised  our  faith  is  vain. 
Mankind  might  revere  the  teachings  of  a  dead  Christ  as 
of  other  great  sages,  but  could  never  trust  him  as  an  Ad- 
vocate, Redeemer  and  Saviour.  That  he  is  even  yet  to- 
day a  living  man,  and  that  he  ever  liveth  to  make  inter- 
cession for  us,  is  the  centre  and  support  of  the  world's 
faith,  hope  and  love. 

The  evidence  that  Christ  Jesus  was  put  to  death,  and 
that  he  rose  from  the  dead,  is  as  abundant  and  complete 
as  the  evidence  for  any  other  historic  fact  whatever.  In 
his  crucifixion  and  death  there  is  nothing  miraculous, 
nothing  that  taxes  credulity  save  a  few  attendant  circum- 
stances, and  the  monstrous  injustice  and  cruelty  of  his 
accusers  and  executioners.  In  his  supremely  miraculous 
resurrection  there  is  the  extreme  antecedent  improba- 
bility of  the  event.  Overlooking  the  unreasonable  skep- 
ticism of  the  few  who  blindly  hold  that  any  miracle  is 
impossible,  the  improbability  is  met  by  the  overwhelm- 

389 


390  HIS  REVIVAL 

ing  testimony  of  numerous  select  witnesses  to  whom  he 
showed  himself  alive  after  his  passion  by  many  infallible 
proofs,  being  seen  of  them  forty  days  ;  witnesses  that 
sealed  their  testimony  with  their  blood.  No  higher 
proof  is  possible  for  any  historic  fact,  and  the  antecedent 
improbability  is,  for  those  who  hold  to  the  reality  of  the 
supernatural  and  its  boundless  possibilities,  completely 
swept  away.  Hence  the  unfeigned  faith  of  the  Son  of 
God,  whom  God  raised  up,  having  loosed  the  pangs  of 
death  because  it  was  not  possible  that  he  should  be 
holden  of  it,  has  been  and  is  to-day  the  reasonable  faith 
of  multiplying  millions. 

At  dawn  of  Sunday,  April  9th,  Jesus  had  already 
risen  from  the  dead.  The  rock-ribbed  vault  with  its  im- 
perial seals  did  not  detain  him.     The  tomb  was  empty. 

At  dawn,  while  the  Roman  sentinels  were  still  on 
guard,  suddenly  the  earth  quaked,  and  from  the  sky,  like 
a  fiery  meteor,  came  swooping  down  an  angel.  Heed- 
less of  the  seals,  he  rolled  aside  the  stone,  and  sat  upon  it. 
His  appearance  was  as  lightning,  and  his  raiment  white 
as  snow.  The  guards,  paralyzed  by  fear,  gazed  into  the 
open  tomb  illumined  by  the  angelic  light,  and  saw  that  its 
tenant  had  disappeared.  They  then  fled  in  disorder  from 
the  garden  northward,  but  soon  came  together  again  in 
its  vicinity,  and  themselves  unseen,  observed  the  coming 
and  going  of  visitors.163 

At  dawn,  while  it  was  yet  dark,  Mary  Magdalene,  and 
Mary  the  widow  of  Clopas,  and  Salome  of  Zebedee,  and 
Joanna  of  Chuza,  left  the  city,  and  came  bearing  the 
spices  with  which  they  purposed  to  anoint  him.  And  as 
they  came,  they  said  one  to  another,  Who  shall  roll  us 
away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the  tomb  ?     Evidently 


THE  RESURRECTION  DAY  391 

they  knew  nothing  of  the  sealing  and  the  guarding. 
Mary  Magdalene,  young,  alert,  eager,  hastened  on  in  ad- 
vance, entered  the  garden,  saw  the  open  tomb,  saw  that 
it  was  empty,  then  turned  and  leaving  her  companions,  ran 
back  to  the  city.  The  others  came  on,  and  seeing  that 
the  stone  was  rolled  away,  they  entered  the  vault,  but 
found  not  the  body  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  While  they  were 
standing  perplexed,  behold,  two  angels  appeared  unto 
them  arrayed  in  dazzling  white  apparel.  Then  they 
affrighted,  bowed  down  their  faces  to  the  earth,  yet  heard 
the  angels  say,  Why  seek  ye  the  living  among  the  dead  ? 
Ye  seek  Jesus,  the  Nazarene.  He  is  not  here,  but  is 
risen ;  behold  the  place  where  they  laid  him.  Go,  tell 
his  disciples  and  Peter,  he  goeth  before  you  into  Galilee  ; 
there  shall  ye  see  him.  And  the  women  departed 
quickly  from  the  tomb,  with  great  fear  and  great  joy,  and 
ran  to  bring  his  disciples  word. 

But  Mary  Magdalene  had  already  spoken  apart  to  Peter 
and  John,  saying,  They  have  taken  away  the  Lord  out  of 
the  tomb,  and  we  who  went  there  to  anoint  him  know 
not  where  they  have  laid  him.  Then  Peter  and  John  ran 
both  together  towards  the  garden  ;  but  John  more  nimble 
outran  Peter,  and  came  first  to  the  tomb ;  and  stooping 
and  looking  in,  as  he  himself  tells,  he  saw  the  linen 
cloths  lying ;  yet  entered  he  not  in.  Peter  followed,  and 
with  characteristic  boldness  at  once  entered  the  vault ;  and 
he  too  saw  the  linen  cloths  lying,  and  the  napkin,  that 
was  upon  his  head,  rolled  up  carefully,  no  haste,  in  a 
place  by  itself;  but  no  body,  no  person,  no  angelic  mes- 
senger. After  him  John  also  entered,  and  saw,  and  be- 
lieved. Then  these  disciples  went  away  again  unto  their 
own  home,  apart  from  the  other  apostles.164 


392  HIS  REVIVAL 

Mary  Magdalene  had  followed  the  two  apostles  back 
to  the  garden ;  and,  they  having  departed,  she  was  now 
standing  before  the  tomb  weeping.  As  she  wept,  she 
stooped  and  looked  into  the  vault,  and  saw  two  angels  in 
white  sitting,  one  at  the  head,  and  one  at  the  feet,  where 
the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain.     And  they  said  unto  her : 

"  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ?  " 165 

"  Because,"  said  she,  "  they  have  taken  away  my  Lord, 
and  I  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him." 

When  she  had  thus  said,  she  turned  about  and  beheld 
Jesus  standing ;  but  blinded  by  her  tears,  knew  not  that 
it  was  he.     Then  Jesus  saith  unto  her: 

"  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ?     Whom  seekest  thou  ?  " 

She,  supposing  him  to  be  the  gardener,  saith  unto 
him : 

"  Sir,  if  thou  hast  borne  him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou 
hast  laid  him,  and  I  will  take  him  away." 

Jesus  saith  unto  her : 

"  Mary." 

She  turned  to  look  intently  on  him,  and  with  a  glad 
cry  of  recognition,  bowed  down  before  him,  stretched 
forth  her  arms  to  embrace  his  knees,  and  in  her  soft 
mother-tongue  breathed  forth  : 

"  Rabboni ! " 

Then  Jesus,  predicting  his  ascension  first  to  her, 
saith : 

"  Take  not  hold  on  me ;  for  I  am  not  yet  ascended 
unto  the  Father;  but  go  unto  my  brethren,  and  say  unto 
them,  I  ascend  unto  my  Father  and  your  Father,  and  my 
God  and  your  God." 

Thus  he  appeared  first  to  Mary  Magdalene. 

In  this  exquisite  story,  Peter  promptly  entering  the 
sepulchre,  is  faith  ;  John  outrunning  Peter,  hesitating  and 


THE  RESURRECTION  DAY  393 

peering  in,  is  hope ;  Mary  standing  without  and  weeping, 
is  love ;  these  three ;  and  love  wins. 

She  then  cometh  hastily  to  the  disciples  as  they 
mourned  and  wept,  and  joyfully  exclaimed : 

"  I  have  seen  the  Lord." 

But  they,  when  they  heard  that  he  was  alive,  and  had 
been  seen  of  her,  disbelieved. 

While  Peter,  John  and  Mary  were  yet  in  the  garden, 
the  other  women,  who  had  reached  the  city,  were  telling 
the  remaining  apostles  of  the  empty  tomb,  of  the  vision 
of  the  angels,  and  of  their  message  to  the  disciples. 
But  all  these  words,  as  well  as  those  afterwards  of  the 
Magdalen,  appeared  in  their  sight  as  idle  talk ;  and  they 
disbelieved  them.  A  little  disheartened  perhaps,  the 
three  widows  returned,  going  again,  by  a  different  path, 
towards  the  garden,  when,  behold,  Jesus  met  them,  say- 
ing: 

"  All  hail ! "  m 

And  they  came  with  fear  and  took  hold  of  his  feet, 
and  worshipped  him.     Then  saith  he  unto  them  : 

"  Fear  not.  Go  tell  my  brethren  that  they  depart  into 
Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  me." 

This  was  his  second  appearance.  How  exalting  the 
honor  thus  bestowed  on  Christian  women  ! 

Meantime  the  Roman  guards,  having  recovered  some- 
what from  their  consternation,  and  apprehending  very 
serious  consequences  to  themselves  for  quitting  their 
post,  deputed  two  or  more  of  their  number  to  report  to 
the  high  priests,  under  whose  orders  they  had  been 
placed,  an  account  of  what  had  occurred.  So  they  came, 
that  Easter  morning,  to  Annas  and  Caiaphas,  and  told 


394  HIS  REVIVAL 

the  things  they  had  seen,  including  especially  the  vacant 
vault.  Thereupon  the  Sanhedrists  were  hastily  assembled 
for  consultation,  with  the  result  that  the  wealthy  high 
priests  gave  a  largess  of  money  to  the  soldiers,  with  the 
charge,  Say  ye,  His  disciples  came  by  night,  and  stole  him 
away  while  we  slept ;  and  if  this  come  to  a  hearing  before 
Pilate,  we  will  persuade  him,  and  secure  you.  So  they 
took  the  money,  and  did  as  they  were  told.167 

Thus  Annas  and  Caiaphas,  the  high  priests,  with  the 
approval  of  their  compeers,  bribed  these  common  mer- 
cenaries to  lie,  and  promised  their  cooperation.  How 
perplexed,  bewildered  and  alarmed  they  must  have  been, 
else  surely  they  could  have  invented  some  more  plausible 
pretense.  For  this  falsehood  is  transparent ;  the  soldiers 
could  not  know  what  took  place  while  they  slept,  and 
besides  it  was  death  for  a  sentinel  to  sleep  on  his  post. 
With  the  stupid  lie,  incriminating  the  innocent,  on  their 
lips,  and  a  bribe,  corrupting  the  unwary,  in  their  hands, 
Annas  and  Caiaphas,  it  is  pleasing  to  say,  disappear  from 
gospel  history.  But  their  vile  lie  spread  among  the 
Jews,  and  was  maintained  by  them  during  the  apostolic 
age;  and  moreover,  it  has  persisted,  with  marvellous 
vitality,  from  the  time  of  Justin  Martyr  down  to  the 
present  century,  as  the  approved  Jewish  explanation. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  of  this  first  Lord's  Day,  Jesus 
appeared  unto  Simon  Peter.  Of  the  place,  circumstances 
or  manner  of  this  appearance,  or  of  the  words  that  passed, 
nothing  is  told ;  only  the  bare  fact.  The  interview  was 
strictly  private.  Three  days  ago,  Peter  denied  his  Lord. 
Then  he  went  out,  and  wept  bitterly.  Nothing  further 
is  heard  of  the  man  whom  Satan  was  sifting,  and  who 
felt  perhaps  that  his  denial  ranked  him  with  Judas,  until 


THE  RESURRECTION  DAY  395 

early  this  Sunday  morning,  when  in  the  angelic  message  to 
the  disciples,  he  and  he  only  is  particularly  named,  lest  he 
should  hesitate ;  and  soon  afterwards  he  is  seen  running 
to  the  garden,  and  entering  the  tomb.  What  passed  that 
afternoon  between  the  penitent  and  his  forgiving  Lord, 
is  placed,  with  exquisite  delicacy,  under  a  sacred  seal  of 
silence  which  a  reverent  imagination  dare  not  profane.168 

Early  in  the  afternoon,  but  probably  before  the  ap- 
pearance to  Peter,  two  disciples  had  left  the  city  to  walk  to 
Emmaus,  a  village  sixty  stadia,  nearly  seven  miles,  north- 
west from  Jerusalem.  Their  purpose  seems  to  have 
been  simply  a  private  converse  with  each  other  on  the 
recent  events.  One  was  named  Cleopas,  the  other,  un- 
named, was  probably  Luke  himself;  for  he,  and  he  only, 
tells  this  incident  in  detail,  his  style  therein  is  autoptic, 
and  the  omission  of  his  own  name,  while  the  other  is 
given,  accords  with  gospel  usage.  In  the  course  of  their 
walk,  Jesus  joined  the  wayfarers ;  but  their  eyes  were 
mastered  so  that  his  form  as  they  saw  it  was  unlike  that 
of  Jesus,  and  therefore  they  did  not  recognize  him. 
Kindly  he  said  unto  them : 

"  What  communications  are  those  that  ye  have  one 
with  another,  as  ye  walk  ?  " 169 

Upon  this  intrusive  question  by  a  stranger,  they  stood 
still,  gazed  on  him  with  sad  faces,  and  Cleopas  answering 
said: 

"  Dost  thou  alone  of  all  that  sojourn  in  Jerusalem  not 
know  the  things  which  are  come  to  pass  there  in  these 
days  ?  " 

"  What  things  ?  "  he  asked  with  evident  sympathy. 

"Why,  the  things  concerning  Jesus  of  Nazareth." 

And   they  recounted  to  him,  with  simple  but  deep 


396  HIS  REVIVAL 

pathos,  what  had  happened,  even  to  the  report  of  the 
empty  tomb.     Then  said  the  unknown,  with  rebuke  : 

"  O  foolish  men,  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe.  Be- 
hooved it  not  the  Christ  to  suffer  these  things  ?  " 

And  from  Moses  through  the  prophets,  he  interpreted 
to  them  the  scriptures  concerning  the  Christ. 

When  they  reached  Emmaus,  the  learned  and  instruct- 
ive stranger  seemed  about  to  pass  on,  but  his  charmed 
hearers  constrained  him,  saying,  Abide  with  us,  for  the 
day  is  far  spent.  So  they  went  to  an  inn  for  rest  and  re- 
freshment. And  when  they  had  reclined  at  table,  he 
took  the  bread  and  blessed  and  brake  and  gave  to  them. 
On  this  familiar  action,  their  eyes  were  cleared,  and  they 
saw  that  it  was  Jesus  himself;  but  he  vanished  out  of 
their  sight.     Astonished,  they  said  one  to  another : 

"  Was  not  our  heart  burning  within  us  while  he  spake 
to  us  in  the  way  ?  " 

Immediately  they  rose  up,  and  returned  with  haste  to 
Jerusalem.  They  found  ten  of  the  apostles,  Thomas  be- 
ing absent,  gathered  together  with  some  other  disciples, 
probably  in  that  same  upper  room  in  the  house  of  John 
Mark  and  Mary  his  mother.  Upon  entering  they  were 
greeted  with : 

"  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and  hath  appeared  unto 
Simon." 

In  turn,  Cleopas  and  his  companion  rehearsed  what 
had  happened  to  them  in  the  way,  and  how  Jesus  became 
known  to  them  in  the  breaking  of  the  bread. 

This  explicit  testimony  of  two  competent  witnesses 
was  heard  with  wonder,  yet  not  without  bewilderment 
and  doubt. 

It  was  now  evening,  and  the  assembled  disciples  began 


THE  RESURRECTION  DAY  397 

to  partake  of  a  frugal  supper  spread  for  them.  In  its 
course,  while  they  were  yet  talking  of  those  things, 
the  doors  being  closed  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  suddenly 
Jesus  stood  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  greeted  them 
with : 

"  Peace  unto  you."  17° 

But  they  were  terrified,  supposing  that  they  beheld  a 
spirit.     Then  said  he  unto  them  : 

"  Why  are  ye  troubled  ?  See  my  hands  and  my  feet, 
that  it  is  I  myself;  handle  me,  and  know;  for  a  spirit 
hath  not  flesh  and  bones,  as  ye  behold  me  having." 

And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  shewed  unto  them  his 
hands  and  his  side.  Then,  while  their  wondering,  loving 
hearts  dared  not  even  yet  receive  the  joyful  truth,  he 
asked : 

"  Have  ye  here  anything  to  eat  ?  " 

Surely  nothing  could  be  more  prosaic,  or  better  adapted 
to  tranquillize  their  thoughts.  They  gave  him  a  piece  of 
a  broiled  fish,  which  he  took  and  ate  before  them,  thus 
emphasizing  his  renewed  human  fellowship.  Now  they 
believed.  Their  long  drawn  and  slowly  yielding  skepti- 
cism at  last  gave  way.  Far  from  being  credulous  wit- 
nesses, they  were  slow  of  heart  to  believe,  and  awaited 
infallible  proofs.  These  received,  they  were  rationally 
convinced,  and  were  glad.  Jesus  therefore  said  to  them 
again : 

"  Pax  vobiscum.  As  the  Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so 
send  I  you." 

Then  inspiring  them  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  gave 
these  apostles,  these  missionaries,  these  sent  forth,  the 
first  of  the  three  final  apostolic  commissions.  This,  then, 
was  the  birthday  of  the  Christian  Church,  as  thereafter 
Pentecost  was  her  baptismal  day. 


398  HIS  REVIVAL 

The  appearing  and  disappearing  of  the  crucified  Jesus 
five  times  on  this  first  Lord's  Day,  thrills  the  heart  that 
loves  him  with  joyful  wonder.  Aroused  by  the  super- 
natural facts,  both  spiritual  and  physical,  it  is  hard  to 
suppress  questions.  Here  is  a  man  who  was  certainly 
dead,  and  yet  is  alive  again.  The  rock-ribbed  and  close 
sealed  tomb  could  not  confine  his  body.  He  walked 
with  torn  feet  to  Emmaus,  and  vanished.  Closed  doors 
did  not  hinder  his  coming  and  going.  Yet  it  was  a  body. 
He  was  known  by  sight  of  his  features,  and  of  his  pierced 
hands  and  feet  and  side.  It  was  a  body  of  flesh  and 
bones  that  could  be  handled,  and  not  a  mere  intangible 
spirit.  And  moreover,  he  did  eat  before  them.  How  is 
all  this  possible  ?  But  let  us  not  incur  St.  Paul's  rebuke 
of  those  who  ask,  How  are  the  dead  raised,  and  with 
what  manner  of  body  do  they  come  ?  Fool ;  that  which 
thou  thyself  sowest  is  not  quickened  except  it  die ;  then 
God  giveth  it  a  body  even  as  it  pleaseth  him.  There  are 
celestial  bodies,  and  bodies  terrestial.  So  also  is  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead.  It  is  sown  a  natural  body ;  it 
is  raised  a  spiritual  body.  There  is  a  natural  body,  and 
there  is  a  spiritual  body.     Behold,  I  tell  you  a  mystery. 


XXXII 
THE  FORTY  DAYS 

AFTER  the  five  appearances  of  our  risen  Lord 
already  noted,  there  were  five  others  during  the 
forty  days  that  elapsed  from  his  resurrection  to 
his  ascension.  Three  of  these  appearances  are  recorded 
with  some  details ;  the  other  two  are  simply  stated. 
Any  surmise  of  where  or  how  he  was  occupied  during 
the  intervals,  would  be  merely  idle  conjecture. 

The  apostles  lingered  in  Jerusalem.  They,  the  elect 
witnesses  of  the  resurrection,  were  not  yet  of  one  mind. 
Thomas,  not  having  seen  for  himself,  refused  to  believe 
in  the  corporeity  of  the  revenant,  saying : 

"  Except  I  shall  see  in  his  hands  the  print  of  the  nails, 
and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my 
hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe."  m 

Because  of  this,  he  is  sometimes  called  doubting 
Thomas ;  but  his  incredulity  was  not  greater  than  that 
of  his  fellows  prior  to  the  sensuous  tests  vouchsafed  to 
them. 

On  the  eighth  day,  Sunday,  thereby  marked  as  sacred, 
the  second  Lord's  Day,  the  apostles  were  again  gathered 
together  in  the  same  upper  room,  and  Thomas  with 
them.  The  doors  were  shut.  Again  Jesus  stood  in  the 
midst,  and  greeted  them  with  the  now  familiar  saluta- 
tion: 

"  Pax  vobiscum" 

399 


4oo  HIS  REVIVAL 

Then  personally  addressing  Thomas,  he  said : 

"  Reach  hither  thy  finger  into  my  hands ;  and  reach 
hither  thy  hand,  and  put  it  into  my  side ;  and  be  not 
faithless,  but  believing." 

With  a  sudden  and  complete  conviction  foregoing  the 
proffered  test,  and  with  a  rush  of  feeling  that  passed  at 
once  into  adoration,  Thomas  bowed  upon  his  knees  ex- 
claiming : 

"  My  Lord  and  my  God." 

Then  said  Jesus  graciously  unto  him  : 

"  Because  thou  hast  seen  me,  hast  thou  believed  ? 
Blessed  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  have  believed." 

This  is  the  last  and  greatest  of  the  Beatitudes.  It 
approves  the  loving  and  rapturous  confession,  the  highest 
yet  made,  of  the  essential  divinity  of  Christ,  the  faith  of 
the  Church. 

According  to  the  command  sent  through  the  women 
in  the  morning  of  resurrection  day,  the  apostles  with 
other  disciples  now  departed  into  Galilee.  One  week  of 
the  six  having  already  passed,  and  another  being  oc- 
cupied with  the  journey,  it  was  probably  in  the  third 
week  that  Simon  Peter  and  Thomas,  James  and  John, 
Nathaniel  of  Cana,  and  two  others,  were  strolling  one 
evening  aimlessly  along  the  shore  of  the  Galilean  sea, 
awaiting  his  promised  appearing.  Welcome,  once  more, 
sweet  Gospel  Lake!  Peter,  primus  inter  pares,  a  little 
impatient  perhaps,  and  with  an  impulse  towards  his  old 
vocation,  said  all  of  a  sudden : 

"  I  go  a  fishing." 

"  We  also  come  with  thee,"  promptly  responded  the 
others.172 

So  they  procured  a  boat,  and  went  out  on  the  lake  for 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  401 

the  night.  But  they  caught  no  fish.  At  break  of  day, 
while  only  a  hundred  yards  from  land,  they  saw  Jesus 
standing  on  the  shore,  but  they  knew  not  in  the  dim 
twilight  that  it  was  Jesus.  He  said  unto  them,  with  the 
familiar  and  affectionate  address  of  a  superior  : 

"  Children,  have  ye  aught  to  eat  ?  " 

They  answered  him,  No.     And  he  said  unto  them : 

"  Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side  of  the  boat,  and  ye 
shall  find." 

Though  the  favorable  hour  for  fishing  had  passed,  and 
their  torches  were  extinguished,  for  the  morning  light 
was  breaking,  yet  with  a  dim  reminiscence  and  presage, 
they  silently  obeyed  the  mysterious  stranger.  And  now 
they  were  not  able  to  draw  the  net  for  the  multitude  of 
fishes.  Then  John,  with  the  quick  intuition  of  his  special 
love,  whispered  to  Peter : 

"  It  is  the  Lord." 

When  Simon  Peter  heard  this  he,  being  naked,  quickly 
girt  his  coat  about  him,  thus  out  of  respect  reversing  the 
usual  order,  and  plunged  into  the  lake  to  swim  ashore. 
He  seems,  however,  to  have  gained  no  advance,  for  the 
others  came  promptly  in  the  boat,  dragging  the  net  of 
fishes  close  to  shore. 

So  when  they  got  out  upon  the  land,  they  saw  a  fire 
of  coals  already  there  and  a  fish  laid  thereon,  and  a 
loaf  of  bread.     Then  Jesus  saith  unto  them  : 

"  Bring  of  the  fish  which  ye  have  now  taken." 

Peter  therefore  went  aboard  the  boat,  and  drew  the 
net  on  land,  full  of  great  fishes,  a  hundred  and  fifty  and 
three ;  and  for  all  there  were  so  many,  the  net  was  not 
rent. 

The  striking  likeness  and  yet  contrast  between  this 
beautiful  and  wonderful  lake  scene,  so  exquisitely  depicted 


4o2  HIS  REVIVAL 

by  Raphael  in  his  ghostly  cartoon,  and  the  one  occurring 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Galilean  ministry,  are  well  worthy 
of  study.  In  both,  nearly  the  same  personnel,  a  like  un- 
favorable hour  and  discouraging  antecedents,  the  fish 
thronging  together  at  his  divine  will,  the  large  captures, 
the  impulsive  actions  of  Peter ;  in  the  first  the  net 
broken  with  loss,  in  the  second  unbroken  without  loss, 
emblematic  of  the  early  and  later  fisheries  of  men. 

The  disciples  overcome  with  awe  durst  ask  no  ques- 
tion, knowing  that  it  was  the  Lord.  Then  said  he,  re- 
ferring to  what  he  had  provided  : 

"  Come  and  break  your  fast." 

And  he  took  the  bread,  and  gave  them,  and  the  fish 
likewise.  Was  not  the  single  loaf,  and  perhaps  also  the 
single  broiled  fish,  multiplied  to  meet  the  need  of  the 
seven  hungry  men  ? 

When  they  had  breakfasted,  Jesus  saith  significantly  to 
Peter : 

"  Simon,  son  of  Joanes,  lovest  thou  me,  ayanas  fie,  more 
than  these  ?  " 

"  Yea,  Lord  ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee,  $dw  8e" 

The  answer  hesitates  to  claim  the  superiority  touched 
in  the  question  with  evident  reference  to  Peter's  recent 
boast,  Although  all  shall  be  offended  in  thee,  yet  will  not 
I.  Moreover  the  answer  uses  an  humbler  word  for  love, 
than  does  the  question.  There  had  been  already  a 
private  interview  between  the  penitent  man  and  his  Mas- 
ter ;  but  this  incisive  examination  before  the  six  brethren 
was  needed  for  his  discipline,  and  complete  restoration  to 
fellowship.  His  humble  profession  was  followed  by  an 
humble  commission. 

"  Feed  my  lambs." 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  403 

Then  Jesus,  omitting  the  comparison,  asked  again : 

"  Simon,  son  of  Joanes,  lovest  thou  me  ?  " 

"  Yea,  Lord  ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee." 

"  Tend  my  sheep." 

This  wider  commission  Peter,  in  after  years,  transmit- 
ted to  the  Elders,  saying,  Tend  the  flock  of  God ;  and 
when  the  chief  Shepherd  shall  be  manifested,  ye  shall  re- 
ceive the  crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away. 

Then  Jesus,  adopting  Peter's  humbler  word  for  love, 
said  unto  him  the  third  time  : 

"  Simon,  son  of  Joanes,  lovest  thou  me  ?  " 

Peter  was  grieved  by  this  threefold  inquiry,  intended 
to  remind  him  and  his  brethren  who  stood  by,  bitterly 
reminding  him,  of  his  recent  threefold  denial.  With  a 
burst  of  painful  emotion,  and  a  renewed  appeal  to  his 
Lord's  consciousness  rather  than  an  avowal  of  his  own, 
he  cried  out : 

"  Lord,  thou  knowest  all  things  ;  thou  knowest  that  I 
love  thee." 

Yes,  Jesus  knew  it,  had  never  doubted  it ;  and  now  out 
from  the  eyes  of  the  attendant  witnesses,  and  of  the  pen- 
itent himself,  he  cancelled  the  past,  and  restored  him  to 
entire  fellowship,  by  the  full  commission  of  a  shepherd  : 

"  Feed  my  sheep." 

To  this  he  immediately  added  an  obscure  prediction  of 
Peter's  martyrdom ;  and,  as  he  turned  to  go,  the  com- 
mand : 

"  Follow  me." 

Peter  obeyed,  not  much  troubled  apparently  by  the 
prospect ;  for,  seeing  John  also  following,  he  forgot  him- 
self, lapsed,  poor  Peter,  dear  Peter,  and  ventured  the  im- 
pertinent question  : 

"  Lord,  and  this  man,  what  ?  " 


404  HIS  REVIVAL 

Thereupon  Jesus  administered  the  sharp  rebuke  : 
"  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  exempt  from  mar- 
tyrdom and  even  death,  what  is  that  to  thee  ?     Follow 
thou  me." 

The  purely  ideal  antecedent  of  the  question  was  after- 
wards misinterpreted,  and  the  report  went  out  among  the 
brethren  that  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  should  not 
die.  John  himself,  in  his  old  age,  took  pains  to  correct 
it  by  adding  the  foregoing  narrative  to  his  already  com- 
pleted gospel ;  yet  the  belief  lingered,  and  as  late  as  the 
time  of  St.  Augustine  it  was  still  a  tradition  that  the  be- 
loved apostle  in  his  tomb  at  Ephesus  was  not  dead  but 
merely  sleeping,  awaiting  the  coming. 

Within  a  fortnight  after  this  seventh  appearance, 
occurred  the  general  assembly  specially  appointed  to  be 
held  on  a  mountain  in  Galilee.  It  took  place  doubtless 
on  the  same  mountain  where  he  had  selected  the  twelve 
apostles,  and  where  he  delivered  the  famous  sermon. 
There,  when  the  eleven  apostles  and  many  disciples, 
more  than  five  hundred,  were  gathered,  Jesus  appeared 
to  them  as  promised.  And  when  they  saw  him,  they 
worshipped  him  ;  but  some  doubted.  It  was  on  this  oc- 
casion that  Jesus  gave  forth  the  second,  the  great  com- 
mission, saying : 

"  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  all 
the  nations.     Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway." 173 

Thus  the  Mt.  of  Election,  the  Mt.  of  Beatitudes,  be- 
came also  the  Mt.  of  Commission. 

It  was  probably  during  the  last  week  of  the  six,  the 
apostles  having  returned  as  directed  to  Jerusalem,  that 
Jesus  appeared  to  James.     No  details  are  given  ;  only  the 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  405 

bare  fact  is  stated.  As  this  James,  surnamed  the  Less, 
merely  to  distinguish  him  from  James  the  brother  of 
John,  afterwards  became  the  presiding  elder  of  the  mother 
church  at  Jerusalem,  ruling  with  special  and  stringent 
authority,  it  is  possible  that  this  private  interview  with 
the  Lord  was  in  preparation  for  that  high  office.174 

There  is  some  mystical  significance  in  the  forty  days, 
the  number  passed  by  Moses  on  Sinai,  and  by  Elijah  in 
Horeb  ;  the  number  which  Jesus  at  the  beginning  passed 
in  the  wilderness  of  temptation,  and  during  which  at  the 
end  he  lingered  between  two  worlds.  What  it  may  sig- 
nify, we  know  not.  Let  us  be  content ;  for  reverent 
ignorance  is  wiser  than  presumptuous  knowledge. 

On  the  last  of  the  forty  days,  Thursday,  May  18th, 
a.  d.  30,  occurred  the  tenth  appearance,  culminating  in  the 
Ascension.175 

The  apostles  being  gathered  together  by  appointment 
in  one  place  in  Jerusalem,  Jesus  once  more  appeared  in 
their  midst.  On  this  occasion  he  opened  their  mind  that 
they  might  understand  the  scriptures,  and  expounded  to 
them  the  doctrine  of  the  suffering  Christ.  And  there- 
with he  gave  them  the  third  commission,  or  rather  the 
commission  for  the  third  time,  that  repentance  and  remis- 
sion of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name  unto  all 
nations,  beginning  from  Jerusalem.  Also  he  charged 
them  not  to  depart  from  the  city  until  they  were  clothed 
with  power  from  on  high. 

And  now,  notwithstanding  all  the  adverse  teachings, 
and  despite  the  contrary  course  of  events,  the  fixed  idea 
of  the  disciples  that  he  would  evict  the  Romans  and 
reinstate  the  throne  of  David,  emerges  again.  So  they 
wistfully  ask,  and  it  is  their  last  word : 


4o6  HIS  REVIVAL 

"  Lord,  dost  thou  at  this  time  restore  the  kingdom  to 
Israel  ?  " 

With  sharp  rebuke  he  replies  : 

"  It  is  not  for  you  to  know  times  or  seasons,  which  the 
Father  hath  set  within  his  own  authority.  But  ye  shall 
receive  power,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon  you  5 
and  ye  shall  be  my  witnesses  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in 
all  Judea  and  Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the 
earth." 

The  teachings  were  ended,  the  commission  given. 
Jesus  then  led  the  apostolic  band  from  the  city  across  the 
Kedron,  past  Gethsemane,  along  the  familiar  route  as- 
cending Olivet  and  passing  over  its  southern  shoulder, 
until  beyond  its  summit  Jerusalem  is  lost  to  sight,  and 
beloved  Bethany,  the  home  of  purity  and  peace,  once 
more,  here  at  the  very  last,  comes  into  view.  There 
Jesus  paused.  Then  lifting  up  his  wounded  hands  over 
the  dear  friends  gathered  around  him,  he  pronounced  a 
farewell  benediction.  O  that  we  had  his  words  !  As 
they  listened  and  looked,  he  was  parted  from  them,  borne 
upwards  by  invisible  hands,  until  a  white  cloud,  hovering 
eagerly  near,  received  him,  and  veiled  him  from  their 
sight. 

Amazed  they  stood ;  and  while  they  were  still  looking 
steadfastly  into  the  sky,  behold  two  angels  in  glistering 
apparel,   spake  to  them,  saying : 

"  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  looking  into  the 
sky  ?  This  Jesus,  which  was  received  up  from  you,  shall 
so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  beheld  him  going  into 
heaven." 

Then  the  apostles  returned  unto  Jerusalem  with  great 
joy  in  the  promise  of  his  coming  again. 


XXXIII 
THE  AFTER  DAYS 

AND  no  man  hath  ascended  into  heaven,  but  he 
that  descended  out  of  heaven,  even  the  Son  of 
man,  which  is  in  heaven.  There  he  sat  down  at 
the  right  hand  of  God ;  there  he  ever  liveth  to  make  in- 
tercession for  us.  Having  then  a  great  high  priest,  who 
hath  passed  into  the  heavens,  Jesus  the  Son  of  God,  let 
us  hold  fast  our  confession.  For  we  have  not  a  high 
priest  that  cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  in- 
firmities ;  but  one  that  hath  been  in  all  points  tempted 
like  as  we  are ;  yet  without  sin.  Let  us  therefore  draw 
near  with  boldness  unto  the  throne  of  grace,  that  we  may- 
receive  mercy,  and  may  find  grace  to  help  us  in  time  of 
need. 

There  were  three  visions  in  the  after  days,  whose  re- 
cital will  complete  the  story  of  the  Nazarene. 

At  the  feast  of  Pentecost,  Sunday,  May  28th,  ten  days 
after  the  Ascension,  the  baptism  in  the  Holy  Spirit  prom- 
ised to  the  disciples  was  fulfilled.  This  was  the  con- 
firmation of  the  Christian  Church,  which  then  grew  rap- 
idly in  vigor  and  zeal,  and  the  number  of  the  disciples  in 
Jerusalem  multiplied  exceedingly.  Therefore  the  apos- 
tles appointed  seven  men  to  help  them  in  their  work. 
Among  these  was  Stephen,  a  man  full  of  grace  and  power, 
who  contended  earnestly  for  the  faith.     Himself  a  Hellen- 

407 


4o8  HIS  REVIVAL 

ist,  he  disputed  with  the  Jews  of  the  Hellenist  synagogues, 
and  they  were  not  able  to  withstand  the  wisdom  and  the 
spirit  by  which  he  spake.  Enraged,  they  stirred  up  the 
people  and  the  elders  and  the  scribes,  and  seized  him,  and 
brought  him  before  the  Sanhedrin,  and  set  up  false  wit- 
nesses which  testified,  We  have  heard  him  say  that  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  shall  destroy  this  place,  and  shall  change  the 
customs  which  Moses  delivered  unto  us.  The  old  false 
charge  redressed.  And  the  high  priest,  president  of  the 
Sanhedrin,  asked  the  accused,  Are  these  things  so  ? 17G 

Then  Stephen,  whose  countenance  was  lustrous  with 
angelic  radiance,  rose  to  his  feet,  and  addressed  the  coun- 
cil respectfully,  saying: 

"  Brethren  and  fathers,  harken." 

He  did  not  seek  to  exonerate  himself  well  knowing  it 
would  be  useless,  nor  did  he  reply  directly  to  the  accusa- 
tion ;  but  he  arrested  the  attention  of  his  auditors  by  en- 
tering upon  a  recitation  of  their  typically  messianic  his- 
tory, which  they  were  always  pleased  to  hear.  As  he 
proceeded,  the  application  to  the  well-known  faith  of  the 
Nazarenes,  which  application  he,  with  high  art,  left  the 
hearers  to  make  for  themselves,  became  more  and  more 
obvious,  culminating  in  a  complete  vindication  of  the  con- 
fession that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  the  Christ.  Then 
with  a  burst  of  indignation,  he  accused  his  accusers,  and 
criminated  the  council,  saying : 

"  As  your  fathers  did,  so  do  ye.  Which  of  the  proph- 
ets did  not  your  fathers  persecute  ?  They  killed  them 
which  showed  before  of  the  coming  of  the  Just  Man  ;  of 
whom  ye  have  now  become  betrayers  and  murderers." 

Hearing  this,  they  were  cut  to  the  heart,  and  gnashed 
on  him  with  their  teeth.  But  he,  looking  up  with  his 
shining  face  steadfastly  into  heaven,  and  seeing  the  glory 


THE  AFTER  DAYS  409 

of  God,  and  Jesus  standing  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  ex- 
claimed in  rapture : 

"  Behold,  I  see  the  heavens  opened,  and  the  Son  of  man 
standing  on  the  right  hand  of  God." 

"  Well  might  we  guess  what  vision  bright 
Was  present  to  his  raptured  sight, 
E'en  as  reflected  streams  of  light 

Their  solar  source  betray; 
The  glory  which  our  God  surrounds, 
The  Son  of  Man,  th'  atoning  wounds, 
He  sees  them  all;  and  earth's  dull  bounds 

Are  melting  fast  away." 

Jesus,  in  his  anxiety,  had  risen  from  his  seat  at  the 
right  hand ;  and  by  his  parousia  he  encouraged  this  bold 
defender  of  the  faith. 

But  the  purblind  zealots  stopped  their  ears,  and  with 
loud  clamor,  rushed  upon  Stephen  to  lynch  him,  thus 
seeking  to  justify  one  murder  by  doing  another.  The 
fanatic  mob  haled  him  out  of  the  city  to  Golgotha,  and 
there  they  stoned  him.  And  as  they  stoned  him,  he 
cried  into  the  open  heaven,  saying : 

"  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit." 

Then  he  kneeled  down,  and  cried  again,  saying : 

"  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge." 

Both  cries  were  echoes  from  Calvary.  And  when  they 
ceased,  under  the  stony  hail,  he  fell  asleep. 

Thus  to  the  proto-martyr  Stephen,  the  first  to  receive 
the  crown,  orlfavo?,  it  was  granted  to  see  Jesus. 

The  tragic  death  of  the  evangelist  inflamed  the  fanat- 
icism of  the  Jewish  zealots.  Very  soon  all  Jerusalem 
was  astir  to  extirpate  the  hated  new  heresy  of  the  despised 
Nazarenes.     There  was    no   tolerance,  no    measure,  no 


4io  HIS  REVIVAL 

mercy.  Day  after  day  men,  women  and  children  were 
hunted  down,  and  haled  to  prison  and  to  scourging  and 
to  stoning  and  to  death.  A  fierce  young  Benjamite,  who 
had  stood  by  and  approved  the  murder  of  Stephen,  led 
this  fearful  onslaught.  With  the  fiery  zeal  of  a  religious 
fanatic,  with  the  energy  of  hot  youth,  with  the  keen  in- 
telligence of  a  gifted  and  educated  intellect,  he  fulfilled 
the  prophecy  that  Benjamin  shall  ravin  as  a  wolf.  The 
wretched  and  helpless  Nazarenes  fled  from  the  city  hither 
and  thither,  for  the  wolf  was  in  the  fold  and  the  sheep 
were  scattered.177 

There  was  pain  in  heaven.  The  King  standing  before 
his  throne  was  now  crucified  afresh  in  his  bleeding  peo- 
ple. He  suffers  with  them  their  agonies.  There  was 
pain  in  heaven.  And  the  angels  forgot  to  sing,  and  their 
dumb  harps  were  forgotten,  and  they  stood  in  silence  and 
turned  their  wondering  eyes  now  on  the  vacant  throne, 
now  on  the  bleeding  earth,  now  on  the  hunted  fugitives, 
now  on  the  anxious  King,  and  amazed  they  waited  in 
silent  expectation. 

The  work  at  Jerusalem  is  done ;  there  are  no  more  to 
slay.  See  a  cavalcade  on  the  way  to  Damascus ;  see  this 
blood-stained  Benjamite  seeking  new  prey.  They  reach 
the  rising  ground  at  the  hill  Kokeba  and  pause.  Damas- 
cus lies  before  them,  the  eye  of  the  East,  its  soft  waters 
of  Abana  and  Parphar  gleaming  in  the  glorious  light  of 
a  noonday  Syrian  sun,  its  fountains  sparkling,  its  white 
walls  glistening,  its  encircling  wilderness  of  gardens  of 
roses  and  groves  of  palm,  citron  and  olive  exhaling  sweet 
odors,  and  vocal  with  the  singing  of  birds  and  the  murmur 
of  rivulets — an  emerald  set  in  the  desert  of  golden  sand. 

The  beauty  of  the  scene  would  surely  soften  the  hard- 
est heart,  and  calm  the  fiercest  passion.     But  no.     The 


THE  AFTER  DAYS  411 

brow  of  the  persecutor  grows  darker,  and  the  only  gleam 
of  satisfaction  is  at  the  near  prospect  of  ravaging  another 
fold.  He  fumbles  for  his  letters  of  authority  to  be  sure 
they  are  at  hand.  His  determination  deepens  in  spite 
of  the  goadings  that  pierce  his  innermost  soul.  His 
teeth  are  clinched  with  hate ;  his  lips  are  dry  with  thirst 
for  more  Christian  blood. 

There  was  pain  in  heaven,  and  silence,  and  wonder, 
and  waiting. 

The  pause  was  short ;  the  persecutor  moves  forward. 
'Twas  more  than  heaven  could  hold.  Suddenly  its  blue 
portals  are  thrown  wide  open.  The  king  of  day  pales 
before  a  greater  effulgence,  flooding  the  firmament,  save 
where  it  casts  upon  the  glowing  world  a  shadow  of  the 
sun.  The  King  of  celestial  glory  descends  and  confronts 
the  persecutor  in  the  way.  He  sees,  but  blinded  by  ex- 
cess of  light,  he  falls  to  the  ground  ;  yet  his  ears  are  open 
to  hear  the  piteous  cry  : 

"  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me  ?  " 

And  he,  trembling  and  astonished,  said : 

"  Who  art  thou,  Lord  ?  " 

"  I  am  Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest.  Inasmuch  as  ye 
have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren, 
ye  have  done  it  unto  me." 

Thus  was  his  hand  stayed ;  and  he,  humbled,  bowed, 
broken  and  blind,  cast  down  but  not  destroyed,  became 
a  new  man  in  Christ  Jesus.  Yea,  more,  he  became  an 
apostle  and  a  witness  of  the  living  Christ  to  all  peoples, 
grounding  his  commission  on  this  vision,  saying : 

"  Am  I  not  an  apostle  ?  Have  I  not  seen  Jesus  our 
Lord?" 

These  extreme  opposites,  the  martyred  evangelist  and 


4i2  HIS  REVIVAL 

the  dominant  persecutor,  were  permitted  to  see  Jesus  ; 
but  in  neither  case  is  there  any  descriptive  word  by 
which  we  might  imagine  the  aspect  of  his  appearance. 

Years  rolled  on.  The  blood  of  the  martyrs  was  the 
seed  of  the  Church.  The  fugitive  Nazarenes,  grouped 
in  remote  places,  zealously  propagated  the  faith,  and  dis- 
ciples were  greatly  multiplied.  The  apostles  gradually 
disappear  from  history,  until  near  the  close  of  the  century 
St.  John  alone  survived.  After  the  death  of  the  Virgin 
Mother  confided  to  his  care,  and  after  the  martyrdom  of 
St.  Paul  in  a.  d.  66,  but  before  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem in  a.  d.  70,  he  had  made  his  home  in  Ephesus,  and 
took  oversight  of  the  churches  of  Asia  which  St.  Paul 
had  founded  and  fostered.  Here  for  twenty  years  or 
more  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  tarried  for  his  com- 
ing, and  now  an  aged  man  was  calmly  awaiting,  in  the 
last  decade  of  the  century,  his  Master's  call. 

"  I'm  growing  very  old.     This  weary  head 
That  hath  so  often  leaned  on  Jesus'  breast, 
In  days  long  past  that  seem  almost  a  dream, 
Is  bent  and  hoary  with  its  weight  of  years. 
God  lays  his  hand  upon  me,  yea,  his  hand, 
And  not  his  rod,  the  gentle  hand  that  I 
Felt,  those  three  years,  so  often  pressed  in  mine, 
In  friendship  such  as  passeth  woman's  love. 
I'm  old,  so  old  !     I  cannot  recollect 
The  faces  of  my  friends,  and  I  forget 
The  words  and  deeds  that  make  up  daily  life ; 
But  that  dear  face,  and  every  word  he  spoke, 
Grow  more  distinct  as  others  fade  away. 
Just  now  I  think  he  must  be  very  near, 
Coming,  I  trust,  to  break  the  veil  which  time 
Has  worn  so  thin  that  I  can  see  beyond, 
And  watch  his  coming.     Lord,  I  now  am  weak, 
And  old,  and  feeble.     Let  me  lean  on  thee. 


THE  AFTER  DAYS  41 3 

So,  put  thine  arm  around  me.     Closer  still. 
How  strong  thou  art !     Tis  worth  the  hundred  years 
To  feel  this  bliss.     So  let  me  bide,  dear  Lord, 
And  on  thy  bosom  rest  in  perfect  peace." 

In  the  year  95,  Domitian,  the  last  of  the  twelve 
Caesars,  instituted  a  general  persecution  of  Christians 
that  extended  throughout  his  Empire.  It  was  probably 
during  this  agitation  that  St.  John,  the  last  of  the  twelve 
Apostles,  was  banished  temporarily  from  Ephesus  to 
Patmos,  a  barren  rocky  islet  in  the  ALgssan  Sea,  about 
sixty  miles  southwest  of  Ephesus.  We  have  his  own 
words  of  what  befell  him  there.178 

"  I  John  was  in  the  isle  that  is  called  Patmos,  for  the 
word  of  God  and  the  testimony  of  Jesus.  I  was  in  the 
Spirit  on  the  Lord's  Day,  and  I  heard  behind  me  a  great 
voice,  as  of  a  trumpet.  And  having  turned  I  saw 
seven  golden  candlesticks ;  and  in  their  midst  stood  one 
like  unto  a  son  of  man,  clothed  with  a  garment  down  to 
the  foot,  and  girt  about  with  a  golden  girdle.  And  his 
head  and  his  hair  were  white  as  white  wool,  as  snow ; 
and  his  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire ;  and  his  feet  like 
unto  burnished  brass,  as  if  it  had  been  refined  in  a 
furnace ;  and  his  voice  as  the  voice  of  many  waters. 
And  he  had  in  his  right  hand  seven  stars ;  and  out  of  his 
mouth  proceeded  a  sharp  two-edged  sword ;  and  his 
countenance  was  as  the  sun  shining  in  his  strength. 
And  when  I  saw  him,  I  fell  at  his  feet  as  one  dead. 
And  he  laid  his  right  hand  upon  me,  saying,  Fear  not ;  I 
am  the  first  and  the  last,  and  the  living  one ;  and  I  was 
dead,  and  behold,  I  am  alive  for  evermore." 

This  symbolic  epiphany  baffles  imagination  and  dazzles 
intellect  by  its  ineffable  glory  and  majesty. 

The  honored  saint,  permitted  once  more  thus  to  see 


414  HIS  REVIVAL 

Jesus,  was  charged  by  him  with  messages  to  seven 
churches  of  Asia,  represented  by  the  candlesticks  and 
stars.  Then  followed,  by  the  ministry  of  angels,  a  series 
of  apocalyptic  visions  of  the  things  which  must  shortly 
come  to  pass;  closing  with  a  sublime  scene  of  a  new 
heaven  and  a  new  earth ;  and  of  a  new  Jerusalem  coming 
down  out  of  heaven  from  God,  with  no  temple  therein, 
for  the  Lord  God  the  Almighty,  and  the  Lamb,  are  the 
temple  thereof ;  and  of  a  river  of  water  of  life,  bright  as 
crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the 
Lamb,  in  the  midst  of  the  street  thereof.  And  the  city 
hath  no  need  of  the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon,  to  shine 
upon  it ;  for  the  glory  of  God  doth  lighten  it,  and  the 
lamp  thereof  is  the  Lamb. 

The  curtain  was  closed  again  by  angel  hands.  Then 
once  more  Jesus  appeared  to  the  disciple  whom  he  loved, 
saying : 

"  Behold,  I  come  quickly ;  and  my  reward  is  with  me. 
I  am  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  first  and  the  last,  the 
beginning  and  the  end.  I  am  the  root  and  offspring  of 
David,  the  bright,  the  morning  star.  Yea,  I  come 
quickly." 

Even  so  come,  Lord  Jesus. 

Amen. 


APPENDIX 


SYNOPSIS  OF  EVENTS 


The  distribution  of  events  throughout  is  in  general  accord 
with  that  adopted  by  the  standard  harmonists,  following 
mainly  the  order  of  Luke,  who,  in  his  Preface,  claims  to 
have  traced  their  course  accurately,  and  to  write  of  them 
in  order.  There  are,  however,  quite  a  number  of  uncer- 
tainties, especially  in  the  parallelism.  Without  discussing 
these,  we  have  simply  presented  the  arrangement  that 
seems  most  reasonable. 


PART  FIRST— HIS  ADVENT. 


I — The  Anticipation. 


1.  Preface, 

2.  The  Word, 

3.  Genealogy, 

II — The  Annunciation. 

4.  Annunciation  of  John's  Birth, 

5.  Annunciation  of  Jesus'  Birth, 

6.  Mary  Visits  Elizabeth,     .    .    . 

7.  Birth  and  Circumcision  of  John, 

III — The  Incarnation. 

8.  Joseph's  Vision, 

9.  The  Nativity 

10.  The  Watching  Shepherds,  . 

IV — The  Reception. 

11.  The  Circumcision,    .... 

12.  Presentation  in  the  Temple, 


Matthew, 


I:  I-17 


1 : 18-23 
1 :  24,  25 


Mark, 


4*7 


Luke. 


1:1-4 


3 : 23-38 


*:5-25 
1 :  26-38 

I  • 39-56 
1:57-80 


2:1-7 
2:8-20 


2:21 
2 : 22-40 


John. 


1 : 1-14 


4i8 


APPENDIX 


13.  Visit  of  the  Magi 

14.  Flight  into  Egypt,    .    .    .    . 

15.  Massacre  of  the  Innocents, 

16.  Return  to  Nazareth,     .    .    . 


Matthew. 


2:13-15 
2:16-18 
2 : 19-23 


Mark. 


Luke. 


John. 


PART  SECOND— HIS  INVESTITURE. 


V — The  Preparation. 
Converse  with  the  Doctors, 

VI — The  Inauguration. 

Ministry  of  John 

Baptism  of  Jesus, 

The  Temptation, 


VII — The  Attestation. 

21.  Testimony  of  John,      .    . 

22.  First  Disciples  of  Jesus,  . 

23.  Water  Made  Wine,  .    .    . 


3: 1-12 

3s*3-»7 

4:1-11 


1:1-8 
I : 9-1 1 

1 :  12,  13 


2:41-52 


3:1-1 

3:  21,  22 
4:1-13 


» : 15-34 
1 '35-51 

2: I-II 


PART  THIRD— HIS  FIRST  JUDEAN  MINISTRY— (Eight  months). 


VIII — The  Inception. 
24.  First    Passover.       Temple 


Cleansed, 

25.  Talk  with  Nicodemus,    . 

26.  Jesus  and  John  Baptize,  . 

IX — The  Interruption. 

27.  John  Imprisoned,      .    .    . 

28.  Jesus  Departs  for  Galilee, 

29.  The  Woman  of  Samaria, 


4: 12 


1:14 


3  :  19,  20 
4:14 


2:  12-22 
2 :  23    to 

3:21 
3 : 22~36 


4:1-4 
4 : 5-42 


PART  FOUR— HIS  GALILEAN  MINISTRY 
(Four  months  and  a  year). 


X— The  New  Home. 

30.  Teaching  in  Galilee,    .... 

31.  Healing  the  Officer's  Son,  .    . 

32.  Rejected     at     Nazareth,     and 

makes  Capernaum  his  Home, 

33.  Call  of  Four  Disciples,    .    . 

34.  Heals  a  Demoniac,  .... 

35.  Peter's      Mother-in-law,      and 

others, 


4:17 


4:13-16 
4: 18-22 


8:14-18 


1 :  14. 15 


I  :  16-20 
1 :  21-28 

1 :  29-34 


4:14,  15 


4:16-31 

5:1-11 

4:3»~37 

4:3Mi 


4:43-45 
4:46-54 


SYNOPSIS 


419 


XI— The  First  Tour  and  Its 
Sequel. 

36.  A  Teaching  and  Healing  Tour, 

37.  Healing  of  a  Leper,     .... 

38.  A  Paralytic  at  Capernaum, 

39.  Matthew's  Call  and  Feast,  .    . 

40.  Jairus's  Daughter.     Healings, 

XII — The   Excursion  and  Re- 
turn. 
Second   Passover.      Heals    on 

Sabbath 

Defense  before  the  Sanhedrin, 

Disciples  Pluck  Corn 

Healing  a  Withered  Hand,  . 
On  Return  Heals  Many,  .  . 
On  a  Mount  Ordains  Twelve, 
Sermon  on  the  Mount, 


Mission  of  John's  Disciples, 
Penitent  Woman  Anoints  Jesus, 
The  Tour  Continued, 


41. 

42. 

43- 

44. 

45- 

46. 

47. 

48.  Heals  Slave  at  Capernaum, 

XIII— The  Second  Tour  Begun. 

49.  Nain.    Raises  Widow's  Son, 
50. 

51- 
52- 

XIV — The  Sequel  of  the  Tour. 

53.  Reception.  Blasphemy.  Insane, 

54.  Parables.     The  Beginning  of, 

55.  Excursion.     Tempest  Stilled, 

56.  Legion  Cast  Out 

XV— The  Third  Tour.   Fate  of 
John. 

57.  Rejected  Again  at  Nazareth,  . 

58.  Mission  of  the  Twelve,   .    .    . 

59.  Death  of  John  the  Baptist,  .    . 

XVI — The  Closing  Scenes. 

60.  Excursion.     5000  Fed,    .    .    . 

61.  Returning,  Walks  on  the  Sea, 

62.  Last  Public  Teaching  at  Caper- 

naum,      

63.  The  Falling  Away 

64.  Talk  with  Spies  from  Jerusalem, 


Matthew, 


4:23-25 

8:2-4 

9:2-8 

9:9-17 

9  =  18-34 


12: 1-8 
12:9-14 
12: 15-21 

5»6»7 
8:5-13 


I I : 2-30 


12:22-50 

'3=1-53 

8:  18,  23- 

27 

8:28 109: 1 


13:54-58 
9  =  35  to 

II  :l 
14: I-I2 


14: 13-21 
14: 22-36 


15 : 1-20 


Mark. 


1 : 35-39 
1 : 40-45 
2: I-I2 
2: 13-22 
5  ••  22-43 


2 : 23-28 

3:1-6 
3:7-12 

3:i3-!9 


3:20-35 
4 : 1-34 

4:35-41 
5  :  1-21 


6:1-6 

6:6-13 

6 : 14-29 


6 : 30-44 
6:45-56 


7 : 1-35 


Luke. 


4:42-44 
5: 12-16 
5 : 17-26 

5 : 27-39 
8:41-56 


6:1-5 
6:6-11 

6: 12-16 

6:17-49 

7: 1-10 


7:11-17 

7:18-35 

7 : 36-50 

8:1-3 


8: 19-21 

8:4-18 

8 : 22-25 
8 : 26-40 


9 : 1-6 
9:7-9 

9: 10-17 


John. 


5:1-15 

5 :  16-47 


6: 1-14 
6: 15-21 

6: 22-58 
6:59-71 


420  APPENDIX 

PART  FIFTH— HIS  EXILE— (Six  months). 


Matthew. 

Mark. 

Luke. 

John. 

XVII— In  Phcenicia  and  Deca- 

polis. 
65.  Third  Passover,  Unattended,  . 

1  :* 

66.  The  Syrophcenician  Woman,  . 

67.  Healing  in  Decapolis,     .    .    . 

68.  Multitude  of  4000  Fed,  .    .    . 

69.  Attempted  Return  Home,  .    . 

70.  Doom  of  Capernaum,  .    . 

XVIII — In  the  Region  of  Mt. 
Hermon. 

71.  Blind  Man  of  Bethsaida,     .    . 

15:21-28 
15:29-31 

»5: 32-39 

16:  1-12 

11:21-24 

7  •  24-3° 

7:31-37 

8:1-9 

"8: 10-21 

8 : 22-26 
8 : 27-30 
8:31 109:1 
9:2-13 
9 : 14-29 
9 : 3°-32 

IO:  13-15 

72.  The  Great  Confession,     .    .    . 

73.  The  Passion  Foretold,      .    .    . 

74.  The  Transfiguration,    .... 

75.  The  Demoniac  Boy,     .... 

76.  The  Passion  again  Foretold,    . 

77.  At  Capernaum.     Temple-tax, 

78.  Humility,  Forgiveness,  Parable, 

79.  Through  Samaria  to  Jerusalem, 

16:  13-20 
16:  21-28 
17:1-13 
17: 14-21 
17:  22,  23 
17:  24-27 

18:1-35 
8: 19-22 

9: 18-21 

9 : 22-27 
9 : 28-36 
9  =  37-43 
9:43-45 

9=33-5° 

9:46-50 
9: 51-62 

7:2 

-10 

PART  SIXTH— HIS  SECOND  JUDEAN  MINISTRY— (Two  months). 


XIX — The  Work  in  Jerusalem. 

80.  Recognized  in  the  Temple, 

81.  Last  Day.     The  Contention,  . 

82.  The  Beggar  and  the  Shepherd, 

XX— The  Tour  and  Its  Close. 

83.  The  Mission  of  the  Seventy,   . 

84.  Parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan, 

85.  Visit  to  Bethany, 

86.  Teach  us  to  Pray.     Parable,  . 

87.  The  Blessed  Virgin.  Warnings, 

88.  The  Pharisee's  Dinner,   .    .    . 

89.  Discourses  and  Parables,     .    . 
The  Slain  Galileans.     Parable, 
A  Woman  Healed  on  the  Sab- 
bath  

Feast  of  Dedication,    .... 


90. 
9»- 


92 


10 : 1-24 
10: 25-37 
10:  38-42 

11:1-13 
II:  14-36 
":37-54 

12:1-59 
13:1-9 

13: IO-2I 


7 : 1 1-36 
7  :  31  to 

8:59 
9:  1  to 

10:  21 


10: 22-42 


PART  SEVENTH— HIS  PER^EAN  MINISTRY— (Two  months). 


XXI— The  Work  Interrupted. 
93.  Journeys.     Is  Threatened,  .    . 


94- 
95- 


Has  News  of  Lazarus,     . 
Dines.     Heals.     Parable, 


13: 22-35 


14 : I-24 


1 1  : 1-6 


SYNOPSIS 


421 


96.  Return  Proposed, 

97.  Return.  Discourse.    Five  Par- 

ables,   

98.  The  Disciples  Instructed,  . 

XXII— The  Great  Miracle. 

99.  Lazarus  Raised  from  the  Dead, 

100.  Decree  of  the  Sanhedrin, 

10 1.  Jesus  Retires  to  Ephraim, 


Matthew, 


Mark. 


Luke.    \    John 


14:25; 

IS*16 
17: 1-10 


11:7-16 


11:17-44 
"=45-53 
54 


u 


PART  EIGHTH— HIS  FINAL  PRESENTATION— (Two  weeks). 


no. 
in. 
112, 
"3 
114 

"5 

116 


XXIII— The  Royal  Progress. 

102.  Return  to  Galilee.  Ten  Lepers, 

103.  The  Kingdom.     Its  Coming, 

104.  On  Prayer.     Two  Parables, 

105.  The  Progress  Begun,     . 

106.  The  Marriage  Law,  .    . 

107.  The  Children  Blessed,   . 

108.  The  Rich  Young  Ruler, 

109.  The^Disciple's  Reward, 

The  Passion  Foretold,  . 
Salome's  Petition,  .  .  . 
The  Guest  of  Zaccheus, 
Blind  Bartimseus  Healed, 

Sabbath  at  Bethany,  .    .    . 

Jesus  Rides  into  Jerusalem, 
The  Voice  from  Heaven,  . 

117.  Return  to  Bethany,    .    .    . 
XXIV— The  Rejection. 

118.  The  Barren  Fig  Tree,    .    . 

119.  The  Temple  Cleansed,  .    . 

120.  Hosannas  of  the  Children, 

121.  The  Withered  Fig  Tree,  . 

122.  Questions:    Of  His  Authority, 

123.  Of  Tribute  to  Caesar,     .    .    . 

1 24.  Of  the  Resurrection,  .... 

125.  Of  the  Great  Commandment, 

126.  The  Great  Denunciation,  .    . 
XXV— The  Prophecy. 

127.  The  Widow's  Mites,  .... 

128.  Of  the  End  of  the  Temple,  . 

129.  Of  the  End  of  Jerusalem,     . 

130.  Of  the  End  of  the  World,    . 


19: 1-2 
19:3-12 
19:  13-15 
19:  16-26 
19 :  27  to 
20: 16 
20:  17-19 
20:  20-28 


20: 29-34 


17:  H-19 
17:  20,  21 
18:  I-I4 


IO:  I 

10:2-12 
10:  13-16 
10: 17-27 

10:  28-31 

10: 32-34 

i°=  35-45 


10: 46-52 


21 : I— II 


21:  18,  19 
21:  12, 13 
21:  14-17 
21: 20-22 
21  :  23  to 
22:  14 


II:  11, 19 


18: 15-17 
18:  18-27 

18:  28-30 
18:  31-34 


19: 1-27 

18: 35-43 

19:28 

19:  29-44 


21:37 


12-14 
i5-*9 


11:55  to 

12:  I 
12:  12-19 
12:  20-36 


1 1 : 20-26 

Jil:  27  to 

12:  12 


22:  15-22  12:  13-17 
22:  23-331 12:  18-27 


22:  34-46 
23 : 1-39 


12: 28-37 
12:  38-40 

12:41-44 

24:1,2      13:1,2 

24:3-28    l3:3-23 

.24:29,to,  3:23-37 
25  :  46    I  J     J  J/ 


20: I-19 

20:  20-26 
20:  27-38 
20:  39-44 
20: 45-47 

21 : 1-4 

21:5,6 

21:7-24 

17:  22-37 


12: 37-50 


422  APPENDIX 

PART  NINTH— HIS  PASSION— (Four  and  a  half  days). 


XXVI— The  Prelude. 


131.  The  Prediction, 

132.  The  Conspiracy,     .... 

133.  The  Day  of  Silence,  .    .    . 

134.  The  Feast  at  Bethany,  .    . 

135.  The  Compact  of  Judas, .    . 

XXVII— The  Eucharist. 

136.  Peter  and  John  Provide,    . 

137.  The  Strife.     Feet  Washing, 

138.  The  Traitor  Indicated,  .    . 

139.  Peter's  Denial  Foretold,    . 

140.  The  Eucharist  Instituted,  . 

141.  The  Valedictory,     .... 

142.  The  Intercession,    .... 

143.  The  Hymn, 


XXVIII— The  Arrest. 

144.  Agony  in  the  Garden,    .    . 

145.  Betrayal  and  Arrest,  .    .    . 

XXIX — The  Arraignments. 


146. 
147. 

148. 
149. 

150. 


First.     Before  Annas,    .    . 
Second.     B  e  f  o  r  e  Caiaphas. 

Mocked, 

Peter's  Third  Denial,     .    .    . 
Third.     Before  Sanhedrin,    . 


Suicide  of  Judas,    .... 

151.  Before  Pilate  (1st  time),    . 

152.  Before  Herod.     Mocked,  . 

153.  Before  Pilate  (2d  time),     . 

154.  Barabbas  Preferred,    .    .    . 

155.  Jesus  Scourged.     Mocked, 

156.  Ecce  Homo, 

157.  Delivered  to  be  Crucified, 

XXX — The  Execution. 

158.  Jesus  Led  to  Calvary, 

159.  Crucified, 

160.  Death  of  Christ  Jesus, 

161.  The  Entombment,  .    . 

162.  Seals  and  Guards  Set, 


Matthew, 


26:  I,  2 
26:3-5 


26:  6-I3 
26:  I4-I6 


26: I7-I9 


26:  20-25 
26: 3I-35 

26:  26-29 


26:  30 


26: 36-46 
26:  47-56 


26:  57-68 

26:  69-75 

27  :  I,  2 

27  ; 3-IO 

27:  H-14 


27: 15-23 
27:  27-30 


27:  24-26 


27:  31-33 
27:  34-44 
27:  45-56 
27:  57-61 
27:  62-66 


Mark, 


14:  I,  2 


14:3-9 
14:  IO,  I 


14: I3-I6 


14:  I7-2I 
14: 27-3I 

14:  22-25 


14  :26 


14:  32-42 
14: 43-52 


14:  53-65 

14: 66-72 

15:1 


15:1-5 


15  : 6-14 
15:  16-19 


15:15 


15: 20-22 
15: 23-32 

I5:33-4I 
15: 42-47 


Luke. 


22:  I,  2 


22 : 3-6 


22:7-13 

22: 14-16 
and24-30 
22: 21-23 
22:  31-38 

22: 17-20 


22:  39-46 
22: 47-53 


22:  63-65 
22:  54-62 
22:  66-7 1 
Acts  1: 18, 

*9 

23:1-5 

23:6-12 

23:  13-16 

23:  17-23 


23:  24,  25 


23: 26-33 

23: 33-43 
23: 44-49 

23:  5°-56 


John. 


13 : 1-20 

13: 21-30 

13:  31-38 

1  Cor. 
11:  23-26 
14, 15, 16 
*7 


18:1-12 


18:  13-23 

18:  24 
18:  35-27 


18:  28-38 


18:39,40 

19 : 1-3 

19:4-11 

19:  I2-I6 


19:  16, 17 
19: 18-27 
19:  28-30 
19:  31-43 


SYNOPSIS 

PART  TENTH— HIS  REVIVAL. 


423 


XXXI— The  Resurrection  Day. 

163.  Angels    and   Women   at   the 

Tomb,  

164.  Peter  and  John  at  the  Tomb, 

165.  Jesus  Appears  to  Mary,      .    . 

166.  Appears  to  the  Other  Women, 

167.  Report  of  the  Guards,   .    .    . 

168.  Appears  to  Peter, 

169.  To  two  Disciples  at  Emmaus, 

170.  To  ten  of  the  Apostles,  .    .    . 


XXXII— The  Forty  Days. 


171.  To  All  the  Apostles,       .    . 

172.  To   Seven   Apostles   by   the 

Lake, 


173.  To  the  Assembly  in  Galilee, 

174.  To  James  the  Less,    .    .    .    . 

175.  The  Ascension  Day,      .    .    . 

XXXIII— The  After  Days. 

176.  To  Stephen  in  Jerusalem,  .    . 

177.  To  Paul  near  Damascus,    .    . 

178.  To  John  on  Patmos,  .    .    .    . 


Matthew. 


28 :  1-7 


28:8-10 
28:  11-15 


28: 16-20 


Mark. 


16:  1-8 


16:9-11 


16:  12,  13 
16 :  14 


16:  15-18 


16:  19-20 


Luke. 


24: 1— 11 

24: 12 


24:34 

24: 13-35 

24:  36-43 


24: 44-53 


John. 


20:1,2 
20:3-10 
20:  11— 18 


I  Cor. 
'5^5 

20:  19-23 


20:  24-31 


21 : I-25 

1  Cor. 

IS:6 
1  Cor. 

15:7 
Acts  I  : 

3-12 


Acts  6,  7. 
Acts  9,  22,  26. 
Rev.  1,  22. 


1  Cor.  15 : 8. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE 


There  are  a  number  of  uncertainties  in  the  dates  of  Jewish  and  Chris- 
tian History.  Those  here  given  without  discussion  are  authorized  by  some 
of  the  best  modern  chronologists,  and  are  in  accord  with  common  usage. 


B.  C. 


Jewish  History. 


Roman  History. 


A.  U.  C. 


63 
55 

48 

44 
42 

40 
37 
3* 


30 

20 


Pompey  takes  Jerusalem, 

Antipater,  procurator  of 
Judea,    

Herod  a  victor  enters  Jeru- 
salem,      

Herod  appointed  King  of 
Judea,    

Herod  takes  Jerusalem  by 
storm 

Visits  Augustus  at  Rhodes 
after  the, 

Herod  confirmed  as  king 

Proposes  to  rebuild  the 
Temple, 


Dec.  25th, 

4 
April  1st. 

April. 
n 

A.  D. 

5 
6 


7 
9 

14 
26 


The  census  commences, 
Birth  of  John  in  July, 

Birth  of  Jesus  Christ, 
Epiphany  and  Flight,  . 
Death  of  Herod.    Arche 

laus  rules,  .... 
Return  to  Nazareth, 
Antipas  rules  Galilee, 

Birth  of  St.  Paul  at  Tarsus, 
Archelaus  deposed  by  Au- 
gustus,     

Judea     and     Samaria     £ 

Roman   province.      Sa 

binus,  first  procurator,  . 

Annas  made  High  Priest, 

Jesus     converses     in    the 

Temple,     .... 
Annas  deposed,     .    . 


Caiaphasmade'High  Priest 
Pilate,  sixth  procurator  of 

Judea,     

424 


Birth  of  Augustus,  .  .  . 
Julius  Caesar  in  Britain,  . 
Battle  of  Pharsalia.  Death 

of  Pompey 

Death  of  Julius  Caesar,  . 
Battle  of  Philippi,    .    .    . 


by  the  Roman  Senate,     . 
Augustus  and  Antony,  tri- 
umvirs,   


Battle  of  Actium,     .    .    . 
Augustus  sole  Emperor,  . 
Augustus  in  Syria.     Birth 
of  Caius, 

Tiberius  sojourns  atRhodes 
Peace  throughout  the  Em 
pire, 


Tiberius  in  Germany,  . 


Birth  of  Seneca,  .    .    . 

Birth  of  Vespasian,  .    . 
Augustus  dies.      Tiberius 
Emperor, 


691 
699 

706 
710 
712 


7M 
717 

723 
724 

734 
748 
749 
750 


758 
759 

(i 
760 

762 

767 
779 


Tiberius  retires  to  Capreae, 


A.  D. 


CHRONOLOGY 

Christian  History. 


425 

Synopsis. 


26 
27 
u 

28 
■1 

29 


3° 


36 

37 
<• 

39 
66 
70 
95 


John  proclaims  the  Kingdom,  and  baptizes.     Dec.  ?  .   . 

Jesus  baptized  by  John  in  the  Jordan.     February  ?   .    . 

First  Passover,  April  9th.  Cleanses  the  Temple.  John 
imprisoned.     Dec.  ? 

Jesus  makes  Capernaum  his  home.     First  Galilean  tour, 

Second  Passover,  March  29th.     Second  tour  begun,  .    . 

Third  tour  begun.     Death  of  John  the  Baptist,      ... 

Third  Passover,  April  16th.  The  Exile.  The  Trans- 
figuration,     

Feast  of  Tabernacles,  Oct.  1  ith.    Mission  of  the  Seventy, 

Feast  of  Dedication,  Dec.  30th, 

Perean  tour.     Lazarus  raised, 

Progress  from  Capernaum  to  Jerusalem,  last  week  in 
March, 

Palm  Entry,  Sunday,  April  2d, 

The  Last  Supper,  Thursday,  April  6th, 

The  Crucifixion,  Friday,  April  7th, 

The  Resurrection,  Sunday,  April  9th, 

The  Ascension,  Thursday,  May  18th, 

Pentecost,  Sunday,  May  28th, 

Martyrdom  of  St.  Stephen  at  Jerusalem, 

Conversion  of  St.  Paul  at  Damascus, 

Pilate  and  Caiaphas  deposed.     Death  of  Tiberius,    .    . 

Herod  Antipas  deposed.     Caligula  Emperor, 

Martyrdom  of  St.  Paul  at  Rome  by  Nero  Emperor, 

Destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus.    Vespasian  Emperor, 

Vision  of  St.  John.     Domitian  Emperor, 


No.  18 

24,27 

32»  36 
41.49 
57.59 

65.74 

80,83 

92 

93.99 

105,114 

"5 

140 

»59 
163 

»75 

176 
177 


178 


INDEX  TO  ACCESSORIES 


Subjects  merely  accessory  to  the 

in  the  Synopsis  of  Events,  are  here 

Page 

Annas  and  Caiaphas,  .    .  329,  394 

their  temple  traffic,  .  1 11,  355 

Antipas,  his  inheritance,  .    .  55,  64 

his  mild  rule,    ....        56 

and  Herodias,  .  116,  196,  202 

and  Aretas,  .    .  116,  197,  202 

in  Jerusalem,    ....      363 

deposed  and  banished,     202 

Antipater,  executed,  ....  50 
Archelaus,  accession  of,    .    .        55 

his  rule  and  deposition,       55 

Aretas  and  Antipas,  1 16,  197,  202 
Augustus  Caesar,  a  type,  .    .        17 

Emperor 29 

orders  a  census,    ...        29 

his  witticism  on  Herod,       50 

confirms  Herod's  will,      55 

decease  of, 64 

Babylon,  seat  of  Empires,  .  17 
Balaam,  his  prophecy,  ...  42 
Beatitudes,  mount  of,  .  .  .  172 
Bethany,  beyond  Jordan,  .  265 
Bethany,  beyond  Olivet,  .  .  275 
Bethabara,  and  Bethany,  .  86,  265 
Bethesda,  pool  of,  ....  161 
Brethren,  of  Jesus,  .  57,  173,  194 
Bethsaida,  and  Chorazin,      .       137 


narrative,  and  therefore  not  indicated 
indexed. 

Page 
Dedication,  feast  of,  .  .  .  .  259 
Demoniacal  Possession,    .    .       140 


Caiaphas,  and  Annas,    .  329, 

their    temple     traffic, 

Calvary,  or  Golgotha,  .  . 
Capernaum,  described,  .  . 
Church  of  Nativity,  .  .  . 
Colors,  Gospels  without,  . 
Crucifixion,  a  Roman,  .    . 

Dead  Sea,  and  the  Lake, 
Decapolis,      


394 
in 

372 
136 

35 
206 

370 


Egotism,  of  Jesus, 
Empires,  typical,  . 


Galilee,  described,     .   . 
Gazith,  hall  of  assembly, 

hall  of  Sanhedrin,   , 

Gennesaret,  Lake  of,    . 
Gethsemane,  garden  of,    , 
Golgotha,  or  Calvary,   .    . 
Gospels,  the  apocryphal, 

Hattin,  the  hill  of,  .    . 
Helena,  mother  of  Cons'tine, 
Herod  the  Great,  .... 

historical  sketch  of, 

rebuilds  the  Temple, 

his  crimes,  death,  .  41 

his  welcome  to  Hades, 

his  inheritors, 


212 
16 

146 
165 
358 
'37 
346 
372 
57 


137 
222 


172 

35 
29 

39 
40 

49.5° 
51 

55 

Herodian  family  tabulated,  65 
Herodians,  a  party,  .  .  .  170,  312 
Herodias,  and  Antipas,    .  196,  202 

and  Salome  their  fate,     202 

High  Priests,  temple  traffic,  III 
High    Priesthood,  sketch  of,     329 

Jericho,  an  account  of,    .  298 

Jesus,  the  name  common,  .    .       37 

his  childhood,   ....        57 

a  carpenter, 62 

education  of,  .    .    .  57,  62,  63 

breth'n  or  cousins,  57, 173, 194 

languages  acquired  by,       63 

personal  appearance  of,       90 

esteemed  a  magician,  .      159 

his  repugn'ce  to  crowds,     1 63 


427 


428 


INDEX 


Page 
Jesus,  mother-tongue  .        .    63,377 

physical  cause  his  death,     381 

John  the  Baptist,  neglect  of,     179 

Kepler,  his  supposition,  .    .        43 

Lake  of  Galilee, 137 

Leprosy,  a  typical  disease,  .       149 

Mach^rus,  castle  of,     .    .  197 

Magi,  an  account  of,     ...  42 

traditions  concerning,  .  45 

Magicians  and  sorcerers,  .    .  159 

Miracles,  their  credibility,    .  98 

Monarchy,  the  Fifth,     ...  17 

Mount  Hermon, 226 

Nain,  an  account  of,     .    .    .  176 

Nativity,  church  of  the,   .    .  35 

date  of  the, 36 

Nazareth  described,  ....  20 

Ophel,  the  district  of,  .    .    .      243 

Palace,  High  Priest's,    .  328,  354 

of  Herod 360 

Parables,  an  account  of,   .    .      187 

exoteric  teaching,     .    .      189 

Parthian  power,  sketch  of,  .  82 
Passover,  the  Feast  of,  .  .  338 
Peraea,  district  of,  ....  265 
Pharisees,  their  doctrine,  70 

Philip  I,  at  Rome 55,  64 

visited  by  Antipas,  .    .      1 16 

Philip  II,  his  inheritance,     .  55,  64 

marries  Salome,   .    .    .      203 

Pilate,  Procurator,     .    .    .    .  56,  64 

an  account  of,  .    .    .    .      359 

Pinnacle  of  the  Temple,  .  .  79,  108 
Plato,  Symposium  of,    .    .    .       1 82 

his  prophecy,    .    .  365 

Prophecies  of  Advent,  .  .  43 
Publicans,  their  conduct,  .   .      152 

Roman  empire,  typical,  17 


Roman  province  of  Judea, 
Rome,  a  sketch  of,    .    .    . 


Page 
56 
82 


Sabbath,  law  and  penalty,  162, 167 
Sadducees,  their  doctrine,  .  7 1 
Sages,  four  typical,  ....  14 
Samaritans,  their  history,  .    .      121 

Sanhedrin, 86,  112 

its  limited  power,     .    .      164 

its  hall  Gazith,     .    .    .      165 

Satan  and  Herod  the  Great,      5 1 

welcomes  Herod  to  Hades,  51 

at  the  Baptism,     ...        74 

sits  in  high  council,  75 

his  three  temptations,  .        76 

his  renewed  attempts,  .      140 

his  emissaries,      .    .    .       142 

in  the  Lake  tempest,    .      191 

uses  Simon  Peter,    .    .      228 

at  raising  of  Lazarus,  28 1,  283 

at  the  feast  in  Bethany,     335 

at  the  Eucharist,  ...      34 1 

his  sifting  of  Peter,  .  342,  357 

352 
366 

71 

58,61 

260 

43 

159 

239 
40 

106 
10,308 

312 
64 

M 

16 

*3 

Virgin,  adoration  of  the,  .  33 
honors  to  the,   ....        24 

Wilderness  of  Judea,    .   .       66 


at  Gethsemane, 
Scourging,  a  Roman,  .  . 
Scribes,  their  functions,  . 
Son  of  the  Law,  Jesus  a, 
Solomon's  porch,  .... 
Star  in  the  East,  .... 
Superstition,  of  the  Age,  . 

Tabernacles,  Feast  of,  . 
Temple  rebuilt  by  Herod, 

description  of,  .    .    . 

desecration  by  traffic,  I 

a  school 

Tiberias,  his  accession,  . 
Types,  heathen  personal, 

heathen  national, 

scriptural,     .    .    . 


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